Pentagon, Lockheed Agree on 10-Year Framework for Buying F-35s – Air & Space Forces Magazine

Pentagon, Lockheed Agree on 10-Year Framework for Buying F-35s  Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin on Oct. 22 announced a framework agreement to buy F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the next 10 years. Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org But the deal, touted by the Pentagon as “landmark” and a first of its kind, depends on Congress granting the military authority to enter into such a multiyear agreement. Under the deal, Lockheed will build 156 of the fifth-generation jets per year for both the U.S. and international customers, across lots 21 through 30. The U.S. military will buy at least 850 of those 1,560 aircraft over the decade covering the agreement, as well as procurement of initial spare parts and modification kits, the Pentagon and Lockheed said in statements.

The deal also covers sustainment of the global F-35 fleet. Details such as pricing and schedules have yet to be hammered out. It’s also unclear how many of each F-35 variant will be produced, and how many will go to individual services like the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps. “We have fundamentally changed how we stabilize the American defense industrial base to produce at speed and scale,” Michael Duffey, undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said