Pentagon Awards Lockheed Martin $23 Million for F-35 Maintenance Depots in Europe and Asia
The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command awarded Lockheed Martin a $23,082,803 contract to help Finland, Switzerland, and South Korea establish national maintenance depots for the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. The work, funded through the Foreign Military Sales program, will be split across Fort Worth, Texas (68%), Cheongju, South Korea (17%), Emmen, Switzerland (6%), and Halli, Finland (6%), with completion expected by December 2028. Finland, which ordered 64 F-35As, aims to service its jets domestically near the Russian border. Switzerland, despite trimming its planned 36-aircraft purchase due to cost overruns, will set up depot capability at Emmen Air Base. South Korea, already operating 40 F-35As with 20 more on order, seeks to end reliance on a regional facility in Japan by establishing heavy maintenance at Cheongju Air Base by 2027. The contract covers engineering services, depot activation, and initial material stocking.
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