Lockheed Martin Delivers 123 F-35s In 2020

Kate O'Connor

Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 12:46 PM ET

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Image: Lockheed Martin

Key Takeaways:

Lockheed Martin delivered 123 F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft in 2020, achieving the upper end of its revised target despite COVID-19 pandemic challenges.
The delivered F-35s were distributed among the U.S. military (74), international partner nations (31), and foreign military sales customers (18).
The F-35 program team was commended for rapidly responding to pandemic challenges to continue delivering the aircraft.
Globally, there are now over 600 F-35s in operation with 1,200 trained pilots, accumulating more than 350,000 flight hours.

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Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has delivered its 123^rd F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft this year. The aircraft, an F-35A, was built at the company’s Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy, and delivered to the Italian air force last week. According to Lockheed Martin, 74 F-35s went to the U.S. military, 31 to international partner nations and 18 to foreign military sales customers.

“The F-35 joint enterprise team rapidly responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to deliver the unmatched combat capability the F-35 brings to the Warfighter,” said Bill Brotherton, Lockheed Martin acting vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “Achieving this milestone amid a global pandemic is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team and their commitment to our customers’ missions.”

Citing supplier delays related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Lockheed Martin decided last May to reduce its original goal of delivering 141 F-35s in 2020 to 117-123 aircraft. The company reports that there are currently more than 600 F-35s in operation around the world with 1,200 pilots trained on the aircraft. The F-35 fleet has currently logged more than 350,000 flight hours.