Fort Worth. Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $177 million contract by the United States Department of Defense (US DoD) for three F-35 Lightning II fighter jets configured for flight science and test work.
Approved on April 23, 2026, the contract covers one aircraft in each of the three F-35 variants: the conventional takeoff F-35A, the short takeoff and vertical landing F-35B, and the carrier-based F-35C.
As the Pentagon works to resolve persistent delays in the F-35 Block 4 upgrade programme, now estimated at over $6 billion above original costs and at least five years behind schedule, the order for these three jets is expected to close the gap arising due to a limited fleet of ageing test aircraft, identified as a key bottleneck in certifying new configurations.
Currently, the…
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Source raksha-anirveda.com
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