Pentagon’s No.1 weapons supplier Lockheed Martin Corp was awarded a mysterious contract from the U.S. Air Force for various high altitude platforms, according to the U.S. Department of Defense contract announcements.
The award, announced by the U.S. Department of Defense on 15 April, provides for advancement of functional materials and their applications for manned or unmanned aerial vehicles capable of flying at high altitudes.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract for materials research and development for Lockheed Martin is valued at $9,7 million.
The work, which is is expected to be complete in July 2025, will be performed in Sunnyvale, California, where Lockheed builds the satellites and missiles.
The Department of Defense also said that Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio is the contracting authority.
No details or plans to use these high-altitude platforms have been revealed.