The U.S. Navy’s Naval Air Systems Command on December 21 awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics two contracts worth $1.255 billion. The first is a $1,171,206,489 advance acquisition contract for the advance procurement of long lead time materials, parts, components and effort to maintain the planned production schedule for the F-35.
The advance acquisition effort includes 80 F-35A aircraft. 28 are for the U.S. Air Force, 6 for the government of Norway, 4 for the government of Turkey, 8 for the government of the Netherlands, 8 for the government of Australia, 10 for the government of Israel, 6 for the government of Japan and 10 for the government of South Korea.
Of the seven F-35B aircraft, six will go to the U.S. Marine Corps while the seventh will go to the United Kingdom. The U.S Navy will additionally obtain four F-35C aircraft.
This contract also includes an undefinitized contract action for production of 2 F-35A aircraft for the U.S. Air Force and F-35C aircraft for the U.S. Navy.
The work will, for the most part, be performed in Fort Worth, Texas, with a portion of operations being performed in the UK. It is expected to be completed in December 2019.
In a separate contract award, the same authority awarded Lockheed a $84,434,012 cost-plus-fixed-fee modification to the previously awarded Lot 9 F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter acquisition contract for the procurement of production non-recurring items.
These items include special tooling and special test equipment items that are necessary for meeting current and future production rates for the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps and non-U.S. DoD participants.
98% percent of work will be performed in Orlando, Florida and is expected to be completed in December 2018.
The U.S. Navy’s contracting authorities awarded further $162 million of contracts to another nine companies on December 21. The contracts, among others, included Austal’s ship design contract and two radar related contracts for Raytheon and Northrop Grumman Systems respectively.
Naval Today Staff