The F-35 Joint Program Office handed out a whopping $1.28 billion in contract to support operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet through June 30, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed Martin announced an Undefinitized Contract Action worth about $1.28 billion to provide initial critical sustainment activities for a worldwide fleet while negotiations continue on a long-term contract to build enterprise capacity and affordability to support the future fleet of more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft.
“This contract ensures F-35s remain ready to fly and accomplish the warfighter’s mission,” said Bill Brotherton, Lockheed Martin F-35 program acting vice president and general manager. “We continue to see improvements in readiness and cost, and as the fleet grows, so does the opportunity for the joint government and industry team to collaborate, realizing even more long-term benefits.”
The UCA funds industry sustainment experts supporting operations worldwide, individual bases, depot maintenance, pilot and maintainer training, and sustainment engineering across the globe. It also covers fleet-wide data analytics and supply chain management for part repair and replenishment to enhance overall supply availability.
The F-35 Joint Program Office, together with each U.S. Service, international operators and the F-35 industry team, leads F-35 sustainment and the Global Support Solution.
According to Lockheed Martin, more than 600 F-35 aircraft have been delivered and are operating from 26 bases around the globe. More than 1,200 pilots and 10,000 maintainers have been trained, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 345,000 cumulative flight hours.