Lockheed Martin Gets $4B Jet Contract

Lockheed Martin Corp. and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. have been awarded a $4.01 billion military contract to provide 30 fighter jets to the Air Force, Navy, and the Marine Corps.

The contract is a modification of an earlier contract. It includes the delivery of 21 conventional takeoff and landing F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets to the Air Force, which will pay $2.64 billion. Six jets with aircraft carrier capabilities will be provided for the Navy, which will pay $937.4 million. Three jets with short takeoff and vertical landing capability are headed for Marine Corp. duty, at a cost of $426.2 million.

The contract also provides for associated mission equipment and flight test instrumentation for those aircraft, and flight test instrumentation for the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom's share of the contract is $4.1 million.

About 67 percent of the work will be performed in Fort Worth, Texas. About 14% will be done in El Segundo, CA; and 9% at Warton, United Kingdom. Some work also will be performed in Orlando, FL; Nashua, NH; and Baltimore, MD.

Contract completion is expected in January 2014.