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 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).
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."
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).
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
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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