Pentagon Orders 30 More F-35s

F-35A USAF

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $4 billion contract to produce 30 more F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the Pentagon announced Dec. 9.

The fixed-price-incentive (firm target) contract provides for 21 F-35A conventional take off and landing (CTOL) Lightning IIs for the Air Force, three F-35B short-take off and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft for the Marines, and six F-35C carrier variants for the Navy.

All the aircraft are being procured under low-rate initial production Lot V.

Broken down by service, two-thirds of the value of the contract - $2.65 billion - is for the Air Force; $937 million, or 23 percent, for the Navy; and $426 million, or nearly 11 percent, for the Marine Corps.

The contract also provides for "associated ancillary mission equipment and flight test instrumentation" for the planes, and flight test instrumentation for the United Kingdom.

The contract was awarded through the Naval Air Systems Command.

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