Lockheed Martin wins $11bn F-22 modernisation contract

Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $10.9bn contract to modernise the US Air Force’s fleet of F-22 Raptors.

This contract for Advanced Raptor Enhancement & Sustainment (ARES), includes modernisation hardware kit procurement and services such as upgrades, enhancements and fixes, as well as performance-based logistics services.

The work will be carried out at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics’ headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. If all options are utilised, work is expected to be completed by 31^st October 2031

The F-22 fighter will eventually be replaced by the service’s next sixth generation jet, the centrepiece of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) programme.

USAF chief of staff, General Charles Q. Brown, has said the NGAD fighter will have increased range and weapons load compared to the F-22, which will allow it to operate at the great distances required in the Indo-Pacific region.

The US Air Force intends to reduce its fighter jet fleet to just four types of planes.

The four aircraft will include the currently in-development Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD), as well as the F-35, F-15EX and F-16. Absent from this list is the F-22.

This is according to USAF’s chief of staff, General CQ Brown, who made the comments at a McAleese and Associates virtual conference.

The F-22, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, made its combat debut in Syria in 2014 but has never shot down an enemy plane in combat.

US allies have expressed interest in purchasing F-22s, but laws prohibit its export.

USAF had originally planned to buy 750 F-22s. In 2009, the programme was cut to 187 operational production aircraft due to high costs, a lack of clear air-to-air missions due to delays in Russian and Chinese fighter programmes, a ban on exports and development of the more versatile F-35.

The last F-22 was delivered by Lockheed Martin in 2012.

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