Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Sign 10-Year Deal Guaranteeing at Least 850 F-35 Jets

The Pentagon and Lockheed Martin have finalized a 10-year agreement to produce a minimum of 850 F-35 fighter jets for the U.S. military, marking the largest contract in the program's roughly quarter-century history. Under the terms of the pact, Lockheed Martin will also self-fund at least $7 billion in F-35 initiatives, underscoring the company's commitment to keeping the stealth aircraft central to American air power for years to come.

The deal cements the F-35's role as a cornerstone of the U.S. arsenal and provides Lockheed with a substantial, long-term production baseline. The program has delivered 1,344 production F-35 aircraft since inception through mid-2026, spanning the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C variants, and the new agreement significantly extends that runway.