Fort Worth-based Lockheed Martin Corp. is set to receive billions of dollars in defense contracts as the company announced it fully stocked Norway with a fleet of F-35 fighter jets.
The company has garnered four hefty contracts from the military over a two-week period.
A $238 million previously awarded fixed-price incentive contract with the U.S. Navy recently expanded its scope “to procure long lead materials, parts, components and associated support” for the F-35 Lot 20 production aircraft for non-U.S. Department of Defense partners and foreign military sales customers. The Naval Air Systems Command in Maryland awarded the noncompetitive contract March 24.
About 59% of the work will be completed in Fort Worth, with additional work in the California cities of San Diego and El Segundo; Warton, United Kingdom; Cameri, Italy; Orlando, Florida; Nashua, New Hampshire; Baltimore, Maryland; and various locations outside the U.S.
The noncompetitive contract calls for $186.8 million from foreign customers and $51.2 million from defense partners. Work is expected to be completed by May 2031.
The second contract — for $4.937 billion — is a firm fixed-price agreement with the U.S. Army for the first increment of Lockheed’s precision strike missile system. The company’s Grand Prairie facility, where missiles and precision-strike weapons are developed, was noted in the contract awarded March 28 by the Army Contracting Command in Alabama. Lockheed was the only company to bid for the contract.
The work to be done at Lockheed facilities will be determined with each order, according to the contract. The expected completion date is March 30, 2030.
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. was also awarded a $13.4 million modification to a cost-plus, fixed-fee contract to supply F-35 jets to Germany March 31. The Naval Air Systems Command also awarded the noncompetitive contract.
“This modification adds scope to provide continued program management, non-recurring unique requirements and training in support of integration efforts for the government of Germany into the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program as a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customer,” according to the contract.
About 60% of the work will be completed in Fort Worth, where the company has an F-35 assembly plant at Naval Air Station Joint Naval Base Fort Worth. Additional work will be done in Orlando, Florida; Greenville, South Carolina; El Segundo, California; Lancashire, United Kingdom; and Baltimore, Maryland.
Another contract modification — for $65.4 million — was awarded April 1 by the Naval Air Systems Command for F-35 engineering and program management support for the popular fighter jet. The noncompetitive contract calls for testing and solution development to support F-35 reliability and maintainability improvements for the Air Force, Marine Corps and Navy.
Funds obligated at the time of contract include $28.6 million from the Air Force and $14.9 million from the Navy as well as $7.3 million from foreign customers and $14.5 million from non-U.S. Department of Defense participants.
Norway’s F-35 fleet
Lockheed Martin said it completed delivery on April 1 for the 51st and 52nd F-35A jets to the Royal Norwegian Air Force — the first partner nation to fulfill its program.
The fleet will enhance Norway’s defense and strengthen its cooperation with key North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies in Europe, officials said in a news release.
“The F-35 is the world’s best fighter jet and I am very pleased that we will receive the last of the 52 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin that Norway has ordered,” Tore O. Sandvik, the Norwegian minister of defense, said in a statement. “The aircraft ensure that we can safeguard Norwegian sovereignty and maintain even better control over our areas on land, at sea and in the air.”
Chauncey McIntosh, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, said the jets will improve and strengthen security and defense across Europe.
“We are honored to build upon our more than 50-year partnership with Norway, ensuring the Royal Norwegian Air Force remains ahead of emerging threats to protect security for Norway and its allies for decades to come,” he said.
The F-35 program — which reached more than a million flight hours and a global fleet of more than 1,150 aircraft — operates from 48 bases worldwide, including 10 nations operating in the U.S.
No kill switch amid allied tensions
The program has been at the center of political debate in recent months, including garnering criticism from billionaire Trump administration aide Elon Musk. The Pentagon said in mid-March that the F-35 program has no “kill switch” that the U.S. could use to render it useless amid tensions with allies.
“There is no kill switch,” the Joint Program Office said in a statement. “The program operates under well-established agreements that ensure all F-35 operators have the necessary capabilities to sustain and operate their aircraft effectively. The strength of the F-35 program lies in its global partnership, and we remain committed to providing all users with the full functionality and support they require.”
After President Donald Trump entered his second term, Portugal officials said in March that Trump’s handling of Ukraine had prompted them to rethink their stance on replacing 28 F-16s with F-35 jets. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also called for a review of the country’s planned $13 billion purchase of 88 F-35s.
Lockheed Martin said it remains committed to partnerships with 19 countries.
“As adversaries rapidly advance technology, the F-35’s unmatched connectivity and ability to work in partnership with assets operating across land, sea, air and space and cyber is essential to securing the skies today and into the future,” the company said.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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