Stealth fighter F-35 global sustainment (FY21-23): ~$7.95B — a sustainment contract with Lockheed Martin (USAspending)
Per USAspending, the global air-system sustainment (FY2021-23) of the fifth-generation stealth fighter "F-35" was awarded to Lockheed Martin. The value is about $7.95 billion ($7,953,264,131), a definitive contract running December 2020–December 2027. An international-scale sustainment contract to keep the F-35s operated by many nations flying.
Contract key facts
- RecipientLockheed Martin
- Contract value$7,953,264,131 (≈$7.95B)
- BranchDefense-wide
- Awarding agencyDepartment of Defense
- Awarding sub-agencyDefense Contract Management Agency
- Award typeDEFINITIVE CONTRACT
- Period of performance2020-12-31 〜 2027-12-30
- Contract ID (PIID)N0001921C0020
Contract scope (original)
FY21-23 GLOBAL F-35 AIR SYSTEM SUSTAINMENT
Key points
- Global F-35 air-system sustainment (FY21-23) was awarded to Lockheed Martin. Cumulative ~$7.95B ($7,953,264,131).
- Definitive contract, performance December 2020 – December 2027.
- The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jointly procured and operated by the U.S. and many allies.
- Sustainment is "GLOBAL" in scale — an international operating structure sharing parts and maintenance infrastructure.
- Development (SDD), production (LRIP), sustainment (this) — each lifecycle phase carries multi-billion-dollar contracts.
- The F-35 carries billion-dollar contracts at development, production and sustainment, the last supported worldwide under one framework.
1The F-35 as an international program
The F-35 is a fifth-generation stealth fighter jointly developed and procured by the U.S. and many allies and operated by each. If the development (SDD) and production (LRIP) contracts covered separately on this site are the "make it" stage, this contract is the sustainment stage of "keeping the made aircraft flying." What stands out is that it targets not one country but the whole world (GLOBAL).
2Sharing parts and sustainment infrastructure
The F-35 runs on an international operating structure in which participating nations share parts and maintenance infrastructure, so sustainment too is supported not country-by-country but within a global framework. Precisely because many nations use the same aircraft, parts supply and maintenance can be bundled for efficiency, while a single sustainment contract underpins the whole.
A cumulative ~$7.95B also reflects that the F-35 is operated as an "international joint enterprise."
3The lifecycle seen next to the F-22
Placing the F-22 (sustainment stage) alongside the F-35 (both production and sustainment) shows that each phase of a fighter's lifecycle — development, production, sustainment — carries its own multi-billion-dollar contracts. The description (USAspending) goes as far as the sustainment scope and does not detail individual work (this site does not fill in what the description omits).
4One aircraft type carries three layers of contract
The F-35 carries contracts of billions of dollars at development, production and sustainment alike. Lined up, the records this site holds show contracts for one type divided by stage.
- 1Development (SDD)The stage of making the design work, about $34.2 billion across 21 years
- 2Production (LRIP then FRP)Built lot by lot, with quantity and price renegotiated each time
- 3SustainmentKeeping what was built flying. This contract belongs here
What stands out is that this contract covers not one country but the whole fleet worldwide. The F-35 runs on an international arrangement in which participating nations share parts and maintenance infrastructure, so sustainment is supported through a global framework rather than nation by nation.
Many countries flying the same aircraft is what allows supply and maintenance to be pooled — and one sustainment contract to carry the whole of it.
Why it matters
The F-35 is operated as an international joint enterprise, and its sustainment is supported within a worldwide framework. Each lifecycle phase — development, production, sustainment — carries its own multi-billion-dollar contracts, with sustainment a large part of lifecycle cost. Together with the F-22 (sustainment stage), it helps grasp a fighter's cost structure. Useful to readers tracking the defense industry and international security.
FAQ
What data is this?
Is the amount final?
Why is sustainment "global" in scale?
Sources (primary)
This article is an independent organization based on the U.S. official spending data below. Verify the exact, latest details with the official source.
- USAspending (award details)
- Contract ID (PIID)：N0001921C0020