On Friday, November 22, 2024, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVSEA) from NAS Patuxent River in Maryland, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense, signed a contract worth 869,947,066 USD with Lockheed Martin for initial work on the 20th production batch of F-35 Lightning II multirole aircraft under Full-Rate Production (FRP).
Photos: USAF
This is a contract for the procurement of long-lead materials, parts, components and related support to support the production of Lot 20 of F-35 Aircraft for US Air Force (USAF), Navy, Marine Corps (USMC) export customers of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers.
The work will be carried out in Fort Worth, Texas (59%), El Segundo, California (14%), Warton, United Kingdom (9%), Cameri, Italy (4%), Orlando, Florida (4%), Nashua, New Hampshire (3%), Baltimore, Maryland (3%), San Diego, California (2%), and various other locations outside the continental United States (2%), with completion expected by May 2031.
The funds are sourced from the NDAA defense budget, including 197,529,066 USD allocated for aircraft procurement in fiscal year 2025 (USAF), 172,718,000 USD allocated for aircraft procurement in fiscal year 2025 (US Navy), 35,400,000 USD from a foreign partner, and 464,300,000 USD from the FMS program. These funds were obligated at the time of contract signing, and none will expire at the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, 2025).
On March 12 of this year, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Dr. William A. LaPlante, announced the long-awaited Milestone C decision in the F-35 JSF program, which enables the launch of full-rate production for these aircraft.
The Milestone C approval is unlikely to affect the annual production volume of F-35 aircraft, which stands at approximately 150 units per year, as Lockheed Martin is currently utilizing all available production capacity. It is also worth noting that the original plan anticipated the launch of Full-Rate Production (FRP) no later than 2020.
The aircraft from the 20th production batch will represent the long-awaited and latest Block 4 version, featuring the Technical Refresh 3 (TR3) configuration. The USAF received the first two F-35A aircraft in this standard in July of this year, while the USMC received its first F-35B in October.
Currently, more than 1,000 F-35 aircraft are operational worldwide, accumulating over 940,000 flight hours. F-35s operate from 33 bases across the globe, including 10 bases located in their home territories. In the face of growing adversary expansion and the aging of previous-generation aircraft, the F-35 will play a key role in maintaining air dominance for decades to come.
Regarding the latest key achievements of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, the day before the contract was signed, Romania ordered 32 F-35A aircraft, becoming the 20th operator of this aircraft family globally. Recently, construction began on the first of 64 aircraft for Finland, a production agreement was signed for the first of 24 Czech units, an intergovernmental agreement was finalized for Greece to purchase 20 F-35A aircraft (with an option for 20 more), and the first Polish F-35A, “Husarz” (out of 32 ordered), was unveiled. Additionally, Italy announced plans to purchase 25 more F-35s, including 15 F-35As and 10 F-35Bs, the Netherlands declared full operational capability for its F-35A fleet, which will increase to 58 units, and, according to media reports, the U.S. has proposed Turkey’s re-entry into the program.