The Defense Department and Lockheed Martin agreed Oct. 22 to a 10-year framework that the Pentagon says guarantees at least 850 F-35 Lightning II fighters for the U.S. military, pending congressional approval and funding. Lockheed will self-fund at least $7 billion in initiatives supporting the program, and production will continue at 156 aircraft per year, according to Lockheed.
The framework includes initial spare parts plus 10 years of modification kits and sustainment, and also covers orders from foreign customers. Neither announcement gave a total value or per-jet price. Lockheed said the F-35 Joint Program Office and the company will work out terms, pricing and schedules in a formal contract if Congress approves a multiyear buy and provides the money in the coming months.
At 850 jets over 10 years, the framework averages 85 U.S. aircraft per year, matching the Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 request for 85 F-35s across the services. In fiscal 2026, Congress funded just 47 F-35s. The framework covers production Lots 21 through 30, according to Defence Blog.
Lockheed CEO Jim Taiclet said in a statement: “With the greater certainty that comes from the U.S. government’s transformative approach to F-35 production and sustainment, we can make the upfront investments needed to expand capacity, improve efficiency, and build a more resilient supply chain.”
Michael Duffey, the Pentagon’s undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment, said: “We have fundamentally changed how we stabilize the American defense industrial base to produce at speed and scale. This agreement with Lockheed Martin proves it.” Neither the Pentagon nor Lockheed described the performance-based incentives mentioned by Duffey.
The framework faces hurdles. The House and Senate versions of the annual defense policy bill would both allow multiyear F-35 contracts. The House passed its bill in July, while Senate Democrats blocked their version from reaching the floor that month, and leaders have put it off until after the November midterm elections. A stopgap funding law keeping the government open through Dec. 11 holds spending at last year’s levels and generally bars the Pentagon from starting new programs or multiyear buys.
Lockheed pitched the framework as a readiness fix, saying steady orders will improve the F-35’s mission-capable rate. A Government Accountability Office report in June found the rate fell from 67% in fiscal 2021 to 44% in fiscal 2025, while the share of time jets could fly all assigned missions dropped from 38% to 25%. Lockheed said the program will support 317,000 U.S. jobs and roughly $79 billion in yearly economic activity over the decade.
The F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin will move to a formal contract award for Lots 21 through 30 once Congress grants multiyear authority and the associated appropriations.
Sources: Defense News · Army Times