Lockheed Martin has set an order ceiling for the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fighter over a five-year period starting in 2026. This is stated in a new procurement document, which was published by the Development Office (Joint Program Office, JPO).
What is known
The American company is able to build and transfer to customers 156 F-35 Lightning II fighters annually as part of orders for lots # 20-24. Deliveries are carried out within two to three years after the signing of the contract.
A JPO spokesman said that annual production and total volume over a five-year period is a potential ceiling for Lockheed Martin. The company won’t be able to build more fighters, but the ceiling is no guarantee.
JPO hopes that Lockheed Martin will be able to reach the maximum delivery level of 156 aircraft by 2025. If everything goes according to plan, then between 2026 and 2030, the American company will be able to transfer a maximum of 780 fifth-generation fighters to customers.
So far, the delivery record is 142 aircraft. That is how many fighters the company sent to customers in 2021. In 2022, Lockheed Martin delivered one less aircraft despite a target of 148-153.
The reason for last year’s failure was the crash of an F-35B in Texas. Due to the accident, the Pentagon suspended deliveries for several months. In 2023, Lockheed Martin wanted to hand over 153 aircraft to customers, but last month the Department of Defense banned deliveries of the F-35 TR-3 due to software problems. By the end of the year, the company will be able to ship 100-120 aircraft.
780 F-35 Lightning II fighters will be valued at tens of billions of dollars. At the end of 2022, Lockheed Martin announced the signing of a contract for the supply of up to 398 aircraft worth up to $30 billion.
Source: Aviation Week
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2023-08-04 22:42:43
