Fort Worth just locked in a massive win from Washington, as the Pentagon awarded Lockheed Martin roughly $3.6 billion to keep the global F-35 fleet flying and fighting. A large share of that work is slated for the company’s operations in the city. The contract modification runs through the end of 2026 and covers depot work, maintenance inspections, emergency servicing, plus training for both flight crews and ground personnel. The money arrives while the F-35 program is under fresh scrutiny after a Pentagon watchdog report flagged stubbornly low jet availability rates.
What The Award Covers
The new funding is an exercise of existing contract options that bankroll a wide range of sustainment work intended to keep already-delivered F-35s mission-ready. Lockheed is tasked with ground maintenance, depot-level repairs, operation of the automatic logistics information system, supply-chain management, and training for pilots and maintainers. The modification also supports repairs, software upkeep, and training system sustainment, according to American Machinist.
Where The Work Will Be Done
Most of the work will run through Lockheed Martin’s existing production and sustainment centers. Fort Worth is expected to get the biggest slice of the action, with additional work in Orlando, Greenville, Marietta, and Palmdale. Naval Air Systems Command is listed as the contracting activity, and federal contract paperwork pegs the expected completion at the end of 2026. The official location breakdown and contracting details are laid out by the Department of Defense.
Readiness And Watchdog Concerns
The timing is no accident. The award follows a Defense Department Office of the Inspector General audit that found the F-35 fleet’s average availability rate in 2024 was about 50 percent, well short of Pentagon performance goals, and faulted sustainment oversight. That report has sharpened the focus on whether new sustainment dollars will actually translate into better parts availability and higher mission-capable rates, rather than just bigger invoices. The assessment and its fallout were detailed by Reuters.
Program Scale And Local Impact
The F-35 enterprise is already enormous. The Joint Program Office notes the fleet has logged more than one million flight hours and includes more than 1,200 production jets in service with a dozen partner nations, which means sustainment work touches a wide and international industrial base.
For Fort Worth, home to Lockheed’s final assembly line and other aeronautics operations, the deal represents steady business for the plant and its suppliers and further cements the city’s status as a major aerospace hub. Local coverage has spotlighted how the region’s aviation footprint is growing, including its recent designation as the aviation and defense capital of Texas.
What To Watch Next
All eyes now turn to whether Lockheed and the Joint Program Office can show measurable gains in readiness that track with this influx of sustainment funding. Watch for tighter performance metrics in future sustainment actions and for how aggressively the Pentagon ties dollars to outcomes. With congressional interest and watchdogs already leaning in after the OIG audit, contract performance milestones are likely to become the next set of flashpoints. Industry press has started to track this award and any follow-on moves, including analysis from GovConWire.
