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The Pentagon has moved to buy at least 850 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin under a 10-year F-35 deal announced Thursday, pending congressional approval and funding.
The framework would be the biggest contract in the stealth jet program’s quarter-century history, according to Bloomberg, yet the Pentagon gave no price tag for it.
The agreement marks the longest commitment among recent Trump administration efforts to prepare suppliers for wartime production.
The framework includes 850 F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the U.S. military, hundreds more for international customers, as well as spare parts and other equipment.
The deal guarantees a minimum floor of 850 U.S. aircraft over the 10-year period and includes procurement of initial spare parts and modification kits, plus sustainment of the global F-35 fleet, according to a statement from the U.S. Defense Department.
The framework covers at least 850 U.S. aircraft over 10 production lots, according to Pentagon and Lockheed Martin releases.
Lockheed Martin’s release said the company will keep the jet’s production rate steady at 156 aircraft a year.
"Today, the Department of War and Lockheed Martin finalized a landmark 10-year framework agreement to strengthen the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter fleet," the Pentagon statement said.
The agreement "creates a stable, long-term procurement signal to modernize and expand America’s 5th generation tactical aircraft," according to the statement. "Execution of the agreement remains subject to Congressional authorization and appropriations."
The statement described the framework as a major milestone for the department’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy. "By integrating hardware requirements across the supply chain, this deal maximizes purchasing power and delivers true economies of scale," it said.
In exchange for the decade-long commitment, Lockheed Martin will self-fund at least $7 billion in initiatives that support the F-35 program, according to the Pentagon.
"We have fundamentally changed how we stabilize the American defense industrial base to produce at speed and scale," said Under Secretary of War Michael P. Duffey, the Pentagon’s acquisition chief. "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," Duffey said.
"This multiyear framework strengthens the way we can plan and invest in the F-35 enterprise," said Lockheed Martin President and CEO Jim Taiclet.
"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," Taiclet said.
"In the coming months, the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin will work to finalize contract terms, pricing, and schedules through a formal contract award," the company said.
Pentagon officials have said firm, multiyear purchase commitments make weapons procurement more efficient. Suppliers in military programs often complain inconsistent congressional funding makes long-term planning difficult.
The framework aims to stabilize prices, ensure adequate spare parts and improve reliability as threats such as artificial intelligence and drones emerge, according to Bloomberg.
Previous F-35 contracts were finalized in blocks, typically of three years, Bloomberg reported. Lockheed Martin, which won the contest with Boeing to build the fighter 25 years ago this month, has long sought a larger multiyear contract because it nearly guarantees steady revenue and orders for hundreds of subcontractors, subject to annual congressional appropriations.
The U.S. approved similar deals this year to boost production of critical munitions such as air defense interceptors, Bloomberg said.
The Pentagon under the Trump administration has pushed several framework deals for in-demand weapons, which officials argue boost long-term production and save costs through economies of scale, Breaking Defense reported. Unlike other frameworks, however, this agreement does not increase the fighter’s manufacturing rate, it added.
Many U.S. fourth-generation jets, such as F-15s and F-16s, have served for decades and are set to retire before the next-generation F-47 and F/A-XX aircraft enter production, according to Bloomberg. Boeing was chosen to build both, while Northrop Grumman is producing the B-21 Raider bomber.
The award signals confidence in the F-35 after the aircraft became a prime target of criticism under U.S. President Donald Trump. Elon Musk said in late 2024 that "some idiots are still building manned fighter jets like the F-35" in a new era of warfare focused on autonomous flight.
The program has been hampered by repeatedly low mission-capable rates and major delays in delivering a hardware and software upgrade called TR3. More than 1,375 F-35s serve with militaries around the world, most of them with the US, and the fleet has passed 1 million flight hours.
The jet has also flown numerous missions during the war with Iran.
The F-35 "is the foundation of the Air Force’s fighter force structure," the service said in a report to Congress last Friday on its long-range fighter plans.
Lockheed Martin "continues to produce and modernize F-35s for the Air Force but is currently delivering aircraft with significant combat system gaps," according to the report, obtained by Bloomberg News. The Pentagon statement did not provide a value for the contract. Each jet, which comes in three variants, costs about $100 million.
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