USN awards Lockheed Martin contract for F-35 spare parts

摘要

The US Navy on 23 August awarded Lockheed Martin a contract modification potentially worth USD2.4 billion for F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter initial spare parts, according to a Pentagon statement. The Pentagon has struggled acquiring spare parts, so this new deal is expected to help lift the burden. Spares to be procured include global spares packages, base spares packages, deployment spares packages, afloat spares packages, and associated consumables. Lockheed Martin spokesperson Michael Friedman said on 26 August that this funding is an important step towards increasing spare parts availability for the growing global fleet and ultimately enhancing F-35 readiness and reducing operating costs. The F-35 Joint Program Office did not return a request for comment prior to publication.