The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin an $871.2 million contract modification to fund support equipment for new F-35 operational sites worldwide, the company and service announced this week. The award, made under an existing contract with Naval Air Systems Command, increases the ceiling on available funds for site activation and sustainment work.
The modification tops up a $2.29 billion base contract awarded in June 2026 that covers site activation, temporary contractor support, fleet management, and reliability improvements. The new funds are specifically for hardware such as spare parts, ground equipment, maintenance tools, and IT systems that connect to the F-35’s global logistics network.
Work will be performed primarily at Lockheed’s facility in El Segundo, California, with a smaller share in Fort Worth, Texas. The modification is expected to run through February 2031. The Navy structured the award as a ceiling increase, meaning funds become available as specific orders are placed, rather than as a lump sum. The work was not competitively bid; the Navy cited Lockheed’s role as the F-35 manufacturer and its exclusive knowledge of how to establish new operating sites.
The award applies to support for F-35s operated by the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, and allied nations. Lockheed said in January 2026 that the worldwide F-35 fleet had grown to roughly 1,300 aircraft across a dozen nations, and that by March the number had climbed past 1,325 built.
The Navy has not specified which bases or countries the new funding is earmarked for, according to public paperwork.
Lockheed Martin is also under separate contracts for other defense programs. The Navy added $76.6 million on Sept. 19 to a Lockheed contract for continued design work on the next-generation Trident II D5LE2 nuclear missile, with work running through Sept. 30, 2030. The Army separately awarded Sikorsky, a Lockheed company, a $234.5 million contract modification on Sept. 18 to build 16 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, with completion expected by June 30, 2028.
Sources: Defence Blog · DVIDS News