Pentagon, Lockheed Agree on 10-Year F-35 Production and Sustainment Framework

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin on Thursday announced an unusually long 10-year framework for F-35 production and sustainment that sets a minimum commitment of 850 U.S. aircraft, a major signal of long-term demand for the fighter program. But the arrangement is not yet a final obligated purchase contract: It still depends on congressional authorization and appropriations, and, if required, multiyear procurement authority.

The agreement, finalized Oct. 22 between the Department of Defense, including the F-35 Joint Program Office, and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, lays out a plan for roughly 156 aircraft a year across U.S. and international production lots, according to Pentagon and company statements reported by multiple outlets and described in Lockheed’s release. Lockheed said the framework covers production Lots 21 through 30 and includes initial spare parts, 10 years of modification kits and sustainment, and international customer orders. The company also said it will self-fund at least $7 billion in initiatives supporting the F-35 program.

That makes the announcement notable beyond the headline aircraft number. F-35 procurement has generally moved in shorter recurring lots or block buys, while this framework combines production and long-term sustainment in a planning arrangement meant to give Lockheed and its suppliers more predictable demand. The Pentagon is presenting that as part of a broader push to stabilize the defense industrial base by giving contractors and lower-tier suppliers enough visibility to justify investments in capacity and supply chains.

In Lockheed’s release, CEO Jim Taiclet said: “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. That’s good for the taxpayer, good for our suppliers and, most importantly, good for the United States and its allies.”

Michael P. Duffey, in a Pentagon statement reported by multiple outlets, 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. By aligning financial incentives with actual performance, we are ensuring our warfighters are equipped with the lethal capabilities they need to fight and win.”

The F-35 Lightning II is the Pentagon’s flagship fifth-generation fighter program and one of the world’s biggest military aircraft efforts, serving the U.S. military and multiple allies. Lockheed said the global F-35 fleet now includes more than 1,375 aircraft and has logged more than 1 million flight hours.

The scale of the framework also draws attention to the parts of the program that have faced the most scrutiny. For years, the F-35 has been dogged by questions about sustainment costs, readiness rates, spare-parts shortages and delays in modernization. That is why the inclusion of spares, modification kits and a decade of sustainment may matter as much as the production target itself.

Still, the announcement should not be mistaken for a fully executed 10-year aircraft buy. No single definitive total price was announced, and the framework does not by itself obligate the government to purchase 850 jets. Final contract actions and funding decisions still must move through Congress before the plan becomes binding.