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Navy/USMC

Lockheed Martin Nabs $180 Million To Convert Three F-35s To Test Variant

Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025

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Lockheed Martin Nabs $180 Million To Convert Three F-35s To Test Variant

Hill Air Force Base F-35As fly in formation over the Utah Test and Training Range, March 30, 2017. (U.S. Air Force photo/R. Nial Bradshaw)

Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) awarded Lockheed Martin [LMT] a $180 million modification on April 21 to support converting three F-35 aircraft to a test variant. The contract announcement said this adds scope to the previous contract to procure materials, parts and components to support converting three production F-35s to “flight science replacement aircraft.” DoD said they require these new flight science aircraft “to prevent any increase in the test capability gap, and allow for future, holistic flight science testing…

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