The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin announced Thursday a 10-year framework agreement guaranteeing the purchase of at least 850 F-35 fighter jets for the U.S. military. The deal also includes initial spare parts, upgrade kits for the stealth aircraft, and maintenance services for the global fleet. In exchange for the long-term commitment, the American company will fund at least $7 billion in program initiatives from its own coffers, according to the Pentagon’s announcement.
1+“We have fundamentally changed the way we stabilize the American defense industry so it can produce quickly and at scale,” said U.S. Under Secretary of War Michael Duffey, adding that the Lockheed Martin agreement proves it. The framework is contingent on congressional approval for multi-year procurement and allocation of required budgets. Lockheed said that if approvals come through in the coming months, the Pentagon’s F-35 program office and the company will finalize contract terms, pricing, and schedules in a formal agreement.
Overall production will remain at 156 aircraft per year, with the framework also covering orders from customers outside the United States. Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO Jim Taiclet said the certainty the agreement provides will allow the company to invest upfront in expanding production capacity and building a more resilient supply chain. “This is good for the taxpayer, good for our suppliers, and above all good for the United States and its allies,” he added. According to the manufacturer, the program will support more than 315,000 jobs and generate nearly $80 billion in economic activity over the next decade.
1+Israel committed last May to purchase a fourth squadron of Lockheed Martin F-35s, alongside a second squadron of Boeing F-15IA jets. The Ministerial Committee on Defense Procurement approved the move, which opens the IDF’s force-building plan for the next decade with a budget of 350 billion shekels. Defense Minister Israel Katz said then that lessons from the campaign against Iran require accelerating the military buildup. Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eyal Zamir called the approval “a first and central step” in implementing the plan.