Photo of F-35 in flight courtesy of Lockheed Martin

According to a news release from the U.S. Department of Defense, Lockheed Martin will be awarded a “not-to-exceed $11,762,911,991” modification to a previously awarded contract.

While the F-35’s primary production takes place in the company’s Fort Worth facility, the center wing is produced in Lockheed Martin’s Marietta facility.

According to the news release:

This modification adds scope for the production and delivery of 145 F-35 full rate production (FRP) Lot 18 aircraft (48 F-35A aircraft for the Air Force; 16 F-35B aircraft and five F-35C aircraft for the Marine Corps; 14 F-35C aircraft for the Navy; 15 F-35A aircraft and one F-35B aircraft for F-35 non-U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) program partners; and 39 F-35A aircraft and seven F-35B aircraft for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers). Additionally, this modification provides tooling support for the governments of Italy and Japan’s final assembly and check out facilities.

The F-35 has recently come under attack from Trump ally Elon Musk who reportedly called the builders of the aircraft “idiots.” Musk has been appointed by Trump to an as-yet nonexistent Department of Government Efficiency.

Defense News reported that outgoing Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall reacted to Musk’s comments, stating, “He’s not a warfighter.”

Lockheed Martin and Cobb County

The Lockheed Martin facility in Marietta has been a major employer in Cobb County since 1951, when the Lockheed Corporation, a predecessor of Lockheed Martin, took over the former site of the WWII Bell Bomber plant.

The C-130 program is the largest program operating at the Marietta facility. The plant currently produces the C-130J Super Hercules (see the company’s Fast Facts on the C-130J or the company’s C-30J brochure for more information).

The Marietta plant also provides ongoing support for the C-5 Galaxy, which celebrated its 50^th year in operation in 2018. The C-5 Galaxy is expected to remain in service until 2045.

The Marietta location also supports the P-3 Orion, and manufactures the center wings for the F-35.