Lockheed Martin Corp is being awarded a $4 billion fixed-price US Navy contract for 30 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft, the fifth batch of low-rate initial production, the Defence Department said on Friday. The deal would provide 21 conventional models for the Air Force, six carrier variants for the Navy and three short-takeoff and vertical landing versions for the Marine Corps, a notice in the Pentagon's daily contract digest said.
Details of the deal have not been worked out, said Michael Rein, a company spokesman, referring to the government announcement as an "undefinitised contract action" subject to further negotiation. "This is welcome news for both Lockheed Martin and our many F-35 suppliers and will help ensure we continue to meet production schedules outlined by the programme," he said by email. The Pentagon currently plans to buy more than 2,440 F-35 aircraft in three separate models for the Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. It is the costliest Pentagon purchase in history, at a projected cost of $382.5 billion through 2035.