DOD and Lockheed Martin agree on F-35 sustainment contracts

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Lockheed Martin’s industrial team has been awarded a contract by the F-35 Joint Program Office for fiscal years 2021-2023.

The contract supports the operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet, supporting mission readiness and further reducing costs.

The annual contracts fund critical sustainment activities for aircraft currently in the fleet and strengthen the company’s ability to support the future fleet of more than 3,000 F-35s. This includes industry maintenance experts supporting base and depot maintenance, pilot and maintenance technician training, and maintenance engineering for the United States and our allies around the world. It also covers fleet-wide data analysis and supply chain management for repair and replenishment of parts to improve overall supply availability for the fleet.

“Working with the F-35 Joint Program Office, we recognize the critical role the F-35 plays in supporting our customers’ global missions and the need to provide this capability at an affordable price,” said Bridget Lauderdale, vice president and general manager of Lockheed Martin. the F-35 program. “These contracts represent a cost per flight hour reduction of over 30% compared to the annualized contract for 2020, and exemplify the trusted partnership and commitment we share to reduce sustainment costs and increase uptime. of this unparalleled 5th generation weapon system. “

The 2021-2023 contracts represent a planned next step to further reduce the overall operating and support costs of the F-35 program, which are shared between government and industry. Lockheed Martin has reduced our costs per flight hour by 44% over the past five years, with an expected reduction of another 40% over the next five years. Cost savings in annualized sustainment contracts for fiscal year 2021-2023 support Lockheed Martin’s efforts to meet these goals. The savings will be realized through improved costs and speed in our supply chain, continuous improvements in reliability and greater workforce efficiency to deliver product support solutions across the board. growing global fleet. We remain committed to working in partnership with our customers and teammates to reduce the costs of maintaining the F-35.

The contracts also pave the way for a longer-term performance-based logistics agreement for the F-35 program. PBLs are an industry best practice, facilitating agile sustainment solutions for the fleet and further driving accessibility and performance results.

The F-35 Joint Program Office, in conjunction with each U.S. service, international operators, and the F-35 industry team, lead the F-35 sustainment and global support solution. The 2021 annualized sustainment contract will cover industry sustainment activities through December 31, 2021.

Data from the program shows that the reliability of the F-35 continues to improve, as the jet is about twice as reliable as fourth-generation fighters. It also shows that the required maintenance man-hours per flight hour are well within contractual requirements, while the global fleet averages around 70% mission capacity rate. Lockheed Martin has significantly reduced its share of the cost per flight hour over the past five years, and the expanded F-35 team is working across government and industry to achieve greater affordability.

More than 690 aircraft have been delivered and are operating from 21 bases around the world. More than 1,460 pilots and 11,025 maintainers have been trained and the F-35 fleet has exceeded 430,000 cumulative flight hours.

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