Lockheed Martin said it delivered a record 191 F-35 fighter jets in 2025, surpassing the program’s previous annual high. The aircraft also reached the milestone of a million cumulative flight hours in 2025 and the company said the program completed delivery of the TR-3 software configuration during the year.
The U.S. Department of War and Lockheed Martin have signed a seven-year framework agreement to raise annual production of PAC-3 MSE interceptors from about 600 to roughly 2,000. The plan depends on Congressional approval and aims to expand industrial capacity.
Finland has rolled out its first F-35A fighter, designated JF-501, at Lockheed Martin’s facility in the United States. The aircraft will support pilot training in 2026 before entering Finnish Air Force service, alongside new AIM-120D-3 missile procurement.
Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin have begun building a new MRO facility to support India’s C-130J fleet, and will provide depot-level maintenance, component repair, structural checks, avionics upgrades and expanded training for engineers and maintainers.
Global defence revenues surged to a record $679 billion in 2024, driven by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and rising geopolitical tensions, according to new SIPRI data. The world’s 100 biggest arms makers saw sales grow 5.9 percent, with strong increases in Europe and steady dominance by U.S. firms. SpaceX entered the Top 100 for the first time, while China posted a rare decline due to procurement disruptions.
Lockheed Martin, General Atomics ASI and L3Harris have completed flight demonstrations in Nevada showing an F-22 pilot issuing in-flight commands to an unmanned aircraft using open-architecture interfaces, software-defined radios and a pilot vehicle interface. The test took place at the Nevada Test and Training Range.
The U.S. State Department has cleared two possible Foreign Military Sales to India, including Javelin anti-tank systems and Excalibur artillery rounds worth an estimated $92.8 million, with final values dependent on future negotiations.
Saab has signed a €3.1 billion contract with Colombia for 17 Gripen E/F fighter aircraft including two twin-seat Gripen F fighters to be delivered between 2026 and 2032, following orders from Thailand recently, a Ukrainian letter of intent for hundreds of aircraft and strong prospects coming up in Canada.
Lockheed Martin held its 11th India Suppliers Conference in Bengaluru, bringing together more than 30 companies and recognizing two Indian firms for their contributions to its global programs, while exploring new defence manufacturing partnerships.
Turkey signed separate agreements at the International Defence Industry Fair in Istanbul last week, with plans to purchase 40 Eurofighter aircraft from the United Kingdom and sell 48 of its indigenous Kaan fighter aircraft to Indonesia.
The British Royal Navy Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft took off from Thiruvananthapuram airport for Darwin, Australia, to presumably join the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group (CSG) on deployment to the Indo-Pacific region, after a forced, 37-day monsoon vacation in Kerala.
Sweden’s Saab announced the selection of its Gripen E/F fighters by the Royal Thai Air Force, which already operates the older Gripen C/D variants, beating out the U.S. Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 aircraft.
The U.S. Air Force has already flown multiple prototypes of the new F-47 fighter, which is part of the Next Generation Air Dominance program that includes uncrewed loyal wingman drones and new adaptive engines. It is planned to be cheaper than the F-22, with a larger fleet and an export version.
As NATO races to supply Ukraine before Trump takes office, Europe is struggling to touch two percent of its GDP on defence expenditure while Russia plans to spend more than 32 percent of its national budget on its military.
Romania has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for 32 F-35A aircraft that are expected to cost around $6.4 billion. Romania already operates the Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter and has become the 20th member of the club of F-35 operator countries.
