Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth operation just locked in a roughly $879 million Pentagon order to build the hardware that lets F-35s actually carry their weapons, a long-haul workload that will keep the city’s final-assembly line humming well into the next decade. The deal covers everything from missile launchers and bomb racks to gun systems, wing pylons, and adapters, with deliveries scheduled through February 2030. It arrives alongside a smaller, roughly $17 million contract modification for provisioning spares.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Naval Air Systems Command issued a firm-fixed-price order (N0001926F0233) valued at $879,098,832 on May 18. The release notes that work will be carried out in Fort Worth, with deliveries planned through February 2030.
What The Order Covers
The deal is all about the hardware that turns F-35s from sleek jets into armed combat aircraft. As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the order provides missile launchers, bomb racks, gun systems, pylons, and adapter assemblies that physically attach weapons to the aircraft. The Star-Telegram also notes that this award is part of more than $1 billion in recent Lockheed contract actions and highlights a roughly $17.5 million spares modification for the company’s Fort Worth division.
Fort Worth's Stake And Timeline
Fort Worth is home to the F-35 final assembly and checkout lines at Air Force Plant 4, and this latest order feeds directly into that local production ecosystem. According to Lockheed Martin, the F-35 program set delivery records in 2025 and has been ramping Lot 18–19 production to keep pace with global demand, a scale-up that local coverage has framed as a steady pipeline of jobs and supplier work. According to Hoodline, sustainment and depot awards funneled billions into the region in December, underscoring how central the plant remains to the city’s economy.
Foreign Sales And The Bigger Picture
The U.S. Department of Defense release shows that about $333.6 million of the order is tied to Foreign Military Sales customers and roughly $139.2 million is linked to non-U.S. participants, a split that reflects the international appetite for F-35 weapons integration. The U.S. Department of Defense identifies Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, as the contracting activity on the award.
For Fort Worth, the contract amounts to another long-term guarantee of work in a city that has built its identity around aircraft production. Suppliers and subcontractors can expect orders to keep rolling in as Lots 18 and 19 are outfitted with the new hardware. City and company officials did not immediately offer additional comment beyond the contract announcement and Lockheed’s statements.
