F-35 Archives - Defense Daily

Lockheed Martin Nabs $180 Million To Convert Three F-35s To Test Variant

Rich Abott — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 21:20:29 +0000

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $180 million modification on April 21 to support converting three F-35 aircraft to a test variant. The contract announcement said […]

Marines Plan To Shift Some Future F-35Bs To More F-35Cs

Rich Abott — Wed, 05 Feb 2025 21:51:10 +0000

The Marine Corps plans to shift some of its planned future F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft into the F-35C carrier variant, according to the service’s latest Aviation […]

Australia Gets Its Last Nine F-35As

Rich Abott — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 17:19:58 +0000

Australia on Wednesday said it received its last nine of 72 total F-35A aircraft. The Royal Australian Air Force received its first two F-35As in December 2018. The Defense Ministry […]

U.S. F-35 Lands On Japanese Ship For Upgrade Developmental Testing

Rich Abott — Tue, 22 Oct 2024 21:30:09 +0000

A specially configured U.S. F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) Lightning II aircraft for the first time touched down on a Japanese naval vessel over the weekend for the […]

Lockheed Martin Nabs $1.56 Billion Contract In F-35 Logistics Support

Rich Abott — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 21:54:36 +0000

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $1.56 billion contract to procure various logistics support for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter air systems for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, Foreign […]

Smith Orders Marine Aviation Safety Stand-down After Three Crashes

Rich Abott — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 21:14:00 +0000

The Acting Commandant of the Marine Corps ordered a two-day safety stand-down of aviation units following three crashes in less than two months. Most recently, on Sept. 17 a pilot […]

LHA F-35B Experimentation Shows How ‘Assault Carriers’ Can Integrate With Carrier Groups

Rich Abott — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 21:34:59 +0000

The commander of U.S. 7th Fleet last week said recent experimentation with the America-class USS Tripoli (LHA-7) amphibious assault ship loaded with Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35B fighters tested how the […]

Testing of Second XA100 for Adaptive Engine Transition Program Complete, GE Says

Frank Wolfe — Tue, 13 Sep 2022 20:34:51 +0000

General Electric [GE] said on Sept. 12 that it has tested out the company’s second XA100 adaptive cycle engine at the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Complex in Tullahoma, […]

Pratt & Whitney Wins $4.4 Billion Contract For F-35 Engines, Components

Rich Abott — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 21:21:54 +0000

The Navy awarded Raytheon Technologies’ Pratt & Whitney [RTX] an undefinitized contract modification worth up to $4.385 billion on June 14 for almost 180 F-35 engines. The award adds scope […]

Canada Rejects Boeing Super Hornet For Fighter Replacement

Rich Abott — Thu, 02 Dec 2021 21:59:59 +0000

The government of Canada confirmed it has rejected Boeing [BA] as a finalist in the government’ project to replace its 76 aging CF-18 Hornet fighters. The government is seeking to […]

Navy and Raytheon Conduct First StormBreaker Test On F-35B

Rich Abott — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 22:24:46 +0000

The Navy and Raytheon Technologies [RTX] conducted the first weapon drop of the StormBreaker bomb from an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, the company said Monday. During this test based at […]

Lockheed Martin Nabs $1 Billion Option For 16 More F-35s

Rich Abott — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 22:14:52 +0000

The Navy awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $1 billion modification on Sept. 24 for a previous advance acquisition contract, exercising options to produce and deliver 16 Lot 15 F-35 Joint […]

Lockheed Martin Nabs $2 Billion F-35 Logistics Contract

Rich Abott — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 21:36:43 +0000

The Defense Department awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $2.014 billion contract definition award on Sept. 13 to provide logistics support for domestic and international customers of the F-35 Joint Strike […]

Lockheed Martin Nabs $1.8 Billion Award For More F-35 Logistics Support

Rich Abott — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 21:33:13 +0000

Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a not-to-exceed $1.8 billion undefinitized contract action (UCA) on June 30 to procure recurring logistics services for delivered F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. […]

GAO Finds More Delays And Costs For F-35’s Block 4 Modernization

Kelsey Reichmann — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:26:32 +0000

The Department of Defense (DoD) needs an updated modernization schedule and improved data on software development before the F-35 fighter can transition from development to full production, leaving the program […]

Raytheon Wins $291 Million Contract For F-35 Engine Maintenance

Rich Abott — Mon, 01 Feb 2021 22:58:01 +0000

Naval Air Systems Command awarded Raytheon Technologies [RTX] and its subsidiary Pratt & Whitney a $291 million contract F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Lot 12 engine maintenance support. The contract specifically […]

U.S. and U.K. Agree HMS Queen Elizabeth Deployment To Use American F-35Bs

Rich Abott — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 22:04:27 +0000

The U.S. and U.K. defense chiefs signed a joint declaration agreement allowing U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel to deploy in a joint UK-U.S. combined carrier strike group led by […]

State Department Approves $23 Billion Sale Of F-35s, MQ-9Bs, And Munitions To UAE

Rich Abott — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 22:32:12 +0000

The State Department on Tuesday approved several Foreign Military Sales (FMS) to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) totaling $23 billion in F-35s, MQ-9B unmanned aircraft, and various munitions after a […]

State Department Approves F-35 and Super Hornet Sales For Finland Fighter Competition

Rich Abott — Fri, 09 Oct 2020 20:16:47 +0000

The State Department approved the potential Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of the Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35A as well as the Boeing [BA] F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler to Finland […]

State Department Approves Billions In Potential FMS To Switzerland For Super Hornet, F-35 And Patriot

Rich Abott — Wed, 30 Sep 2020 21:42:48 +0000

The State Department on Sept. 30 approved billions of dollars in possible Foreign Military Sales (FMSs) to Switzerland for F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets, F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, and Patriot defense […]

Lockheed Martin to Integrate New Situational Awareness System for F-35

Frank Wolfe — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 22:04:45 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] is to integrate the Raytheon [RTN] Next-Generation Electro-Optical Distributed Aperture System (DAS) into all F-35 variants over the next two years under a nearly $99 million contract […]

Lockheed Martin, Universal Synaptics Partner to Address Fighter Jet Faults

Woodrow Bellamy III — Mon, 17 Dec 2018 20:31:53 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] will be the systems integrator of two Universal Synaptics automated test equipment solutions across key Defense Department programs under a new intermittent fault detection technology licensing agreement. […]

F-35 Distributed Mission Training Coming in 2019

Woodrow Bellamy III — Fri, 02 Nov 2018 21:22:07 +0000

Pilots training to fly the F-35 Lightning II will soon have the ability to virtually fly with up to 12 flight simulators networked together across different bases and training facilities […]

New Fuel Tube Issues Ground Several F-35s For Second Time This Month

Vivienne Machi — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 21:34:42 +0000

Following the Oct. 11 grounding of all F-35 Joint Strike Fighters due to a failed fuel tube in some aircraft, two additional fuel supply tubes have been identified as suspect […]

Belgium Picks F-35 Over European Options for Future Fighter

Vivienne Machi — Thu, 25 Oct 2018 21:24:54 +0000

Belgium has chosen Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] F-35 Joint Strike Fighter for its next fighter aircraft over several potential European options, becoming the 13th country to select the fifth-generation platform. The […]

Majority of F-35 Aircraft Cleared For Flight After Fuel Tube Tests

Vivienne Machi — Mon, 15 Oct 2018 17:47:55 +0000

Less than a week after the Pentagon’s entire fleet of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters was temporarily grounded to investigate a suspect fuel tube, the majority of the aircraft are back […]

F-35s Grounded Worldwide For Fuel Tube Inspection

Vivienne Machi — Thu, 11 Oct 2018 14:13:04 +0000

The U.S. military’s most sophisticated fighter aircraft fleet was temporarily suspended from operations beginning Thursday as the Defense Department worked to determine which of their platforms had a suspect part […]

F-35 PEO: Unit Cost Could Drop Below $80 Million by 2020

Vivienne Machi — Tue, 02 Oct 2018 21:39:07 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) remain on track to reach a unit price of $80 million — or less — by lot 14, the program […]

F-35 Program Office: No Change Anticipated for Deliveries to Turkey

Vivienne Machi — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 21:42:17 +0000

The Department of Defense (DoD) continues to move forward with plans to deliver F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Turkey on schedule, even as it makes progress on a congressionally mandated […]

F-35 Program Office Aiming to Keep Deliveries on Track with New Performance Incentives

Vivienne Machi — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 21:17:58 +0000

The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) is looking to target late delivery timelines and quality inefficiencies with its next production lot by instating new production efficiency initiatives, the program executive […]

DOT&E Delays F-35 Operational Testing Until November For Software Upgrades

Rich Abott — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 20:53:58 +0000

Last month the Defense Department independent weapon tester delayed the start of F-35 operational testing by two months while it waits for the newest versions of software to be delivered. […]

Lockheed Martin Posts Strong Second Quarter Results; Raises Guidance

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 24 Jul 2018 18:04:06 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] on Tuesday reported strong second quarter financial results driven by higher sales, lower taxes, a pension benefit and improved operating performance. Net income increased 26 percent to […]

Lockheed Martin Targets $80 Million Price Tag For F-35 By LRIP 14

Cal Biesecker — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 20:29:20 +0000

FARNBOROUGH INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW–Lockheed Martin [LMT] has reached a “handshake” agreement on the low-rate initial product lot 11 (LRIP 11) contract for the F-35, according to a program update provided by […]

Raytheon Nabs Next-Gen F-35 DAS Sensor

Rich Abott — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 21:16:52 +0000

Lockheed Marin [LMT] chose Raytheon [RTN] to develop and deliver the next generation Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, replacing the sensor’s incumbent Northrop Grumman [NOC]. […]

Lockheed Martin Opens 2018 With Strong Financial Results

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 18:35:55 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] on Tuesday posted strong financial results in its first quarter buoyed by operating performance, a lower tax rate and a pension tailwind, and the company raised the […]

State Department OK’s $6.5 Billion Sale Of 34 F-35s To Belgium

Rich Abott — Fri, 19 Jan 2018 22:27:35 +0000

The State Department approved a possible $6.5 billion Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to Belgium for 34 Conventional Take-off and Landing (CTOL) F-35A variants. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) told […]

F-35 System Development And Demonstration Phase On Track

Rich Abott — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 20:35:18 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] said Monday its Integrated Test Force Teams are successfully completing the requirements of the F-35 program’s System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase. In recent months the company […]

Lockheed Martin Wins $102 Million Contract To Deliver Initial Support For UK F-35 Fleet

Rich Abott — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 20:56:09 +0000

The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, through the U.S. Defense Department’s F-35 Joint Program Office, awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $102 million three-year contract to deliver initial training, engineering, maintenance, […]

Lockheed Martin Weeks Away From Delivering Latest Version Of F-35 ALIS

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 21:19:22 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] is weeks away from delivering the latest version of its F-35 aircraft maintenance software, according to a key executive. Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President and General Manager […]

F-35A Achieves 20-To-One Kill Ratio At Red Flag, General Says

Cal Biesecker — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 20:42:21 +0000

The F-35A next-generation fighter scored a kill ratio of 20 times its losses in the recently completed Red Flag combat training exercise in Nevada, an Air Force general said on […]

Bogdan Says F-35 Development Short $532 Million; Funds Will Be Found Within Program

Cal Biesecker — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 19:32:39 +0000

The budget to complete system development of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is about $532 million short over the next few years but the funding to complete this work will […]

Lockheed Martin Sees F-35 LRIP 11 Award In 2017; Mulls Options For Potential Response To LRIP 9 Award

Cal Biesecker — Wed, 08 Feb 2017 21:28:47 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] expects to receive a contract for the next batch of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters (JSF) later this year and the company is still keeping open its options […]

Lockheed Martin Says F-35 Profits On Plan Despite Trump’s Focus On Affordability

Cal Biesecker — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 21:40:20 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] will increase profit margins on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter while decreasing the per-aircraft price tag amid high profile pressure from President Donald Trump to contain costs on the […]

Marines Near F-35’s First Overseas Deployment

Marc Selinger — Tue, 09 Aug 2016 21:05:41 +0000

The U.S. Marine Corps is on track to begin deploying its new Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-35 Lightning II fighter overseas for the first time in early 2017 in the Western […]

DoD Awards Pratt & Whitney $1.4 Billion Contract For Lot Nine F-35 Engines

Rich Abott — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 21:12:14 +0000

The Defense Department’s F-35 Joint Program Office awarded Pratt & Whitney a $1.4 billion contract for lot nine low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the F135 propulsion system to power the […]

DoD Awards Pratt & Whitney $1.4 Billion Contract For Lot Nine F-35 Engines

Rich Abott — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 21:12:14 +0000

The Defense Department’s F-35 Joint Program Office awarded Pratt & Whitney a $1.4 billion contract for lot nine low-rate initial production (LRIP) of the F135 propulsion system to power the […]

Netherlands And Pratt & Whitney Sign F135 Depot Activation Contract

Rich Abott — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:59:50 +0000

The Netherlands Ministry of Defense (MOD) signed a depot activation contract with Pratt & Whitney, a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX], to launch a maintenance, repair, overhaul, & upgrade […]

Lockheed Martin Teams With Roketsan On Long-Range Missile For F-35

Dan Parsons — Wed, 16 Sep 2015 19:25:41 +0000

Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Turkish company Roketsan have agreed to cooperatively develop a next-generation air-to-surface missile for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The so-called SOM-J is a new standoff cruise […]

First Two F-35As Arrive At Hill AFB, Where They Will Be First Battle-Ready Jets

Dan Parsons — Fri, 04 Sep 2015 17:36:36 +0000

The first two F-35A Joint Strike Fighters arrived at Hill AFB, Utah, on Sept. 2, making it the 10th installation to formally host the jet. The two conventional takeoff and […]

Final Version of F-35 High-Tech Helmet Finally Arrives

Dan Parsons — Thu, 13 Aug 2015 21:18:25 +0000

Rockwell Collins [COL] on Wednesday delivered the first Gen III F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS), the super-high tech custom headgear that allows pilots to see through the fuselage of […]