Lockheed Martin and the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) have signed a contract to support the United Kingdom’s fleet of Lockheed Martin F-35B Joint Strike Fighters until 2027, the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced on 4 April 2023.
Continuing on from the pre-existing sustainment service at the F-35 fleet’s base at RAF Marham, which is due to expire this year, the Lightning Air System National Capability Enterprise (LANCE) 23-27 contract is valued at around GBP 147 M (EUR 168 M) according to BAE Systems, which will carry out the work as the primary subcontractor to Lockheed Martin (a UK MoD press quoted a figure of £161 M; the cause of the discrepancy between the two figures was not immediately clear).
BAE Systems will provide the majority of personnel at RAF Marham and in deployed locations as required. The joint industry team will deliver aircrew, ground crew and mission planning training; technical and operational support; IT support; supply chain management and expertise; and maintenance capabilities.
“The industry team worked closely with the Lightning Delivery Team and the JPO to provide a contract that will support the Lightning Force operations and the increasing inventory of jets,” Mark Perreault, Sustainment Senior Program Manager at Lockheed Martin, was quoted as saying in a BAE Systems press release. “The services and expertise being provided via the LANCE effort will be integral to the daily operations and readiness of the Lightning squadrons of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. We are proud to partner with BAE Systems and Lightning Team UK and look forward to continuing support to the UK’s F-35 fleet.”
“The signature of the LANCE contract is a significant milestone in the maturity of the UK’s F-35 national support solution and demonstrates confidence in Lockheed Martin and BAES’ ability to enable the nation’s critical F-35 freedom-of-action capability and deliver the necessary support to the UK warfighter,” Air Cdre Phil Brooker, Head of the Lightning Delivery Team and Combat Air Principal Engineer at the UK MoD’s Defence Equipment & Support organisation, was quoted as saying in a press release. “Adopting lessons from the previous two-year ‘Operate and Demonstrate’ phase contract, LANCE 23 offers value for money, whilst also increasing the overall scope from the previous contract and introducing significant capability enhancements critical to the generation of air vehicle availability.”
By the end of 2022 the UK had 30 F-35Bs in service (including three based in the United States), with seven due for delivery in 2023 and the remaining 11 currently on order to follow in 2024.
Peter Felstead
