PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Lockheed Martin Corp. in Fort Worth, Texas, is receiving a $16.1 million contract modification to expand avionics test capabilities, modernize cybersecurity, and build specialized repair infrastructure to support the F-35 Lightning II fighter's Integrated Core Processor (ICP).
The ICP is a multifunction mission processor that handles data associated with the F-35's radar, Distributed Aperture System (DAS), electronic warfare, communications, guidance and control, and cockpit and helmet displays, according to L3Harris Technologies, which developed the next-generation processor.
The ICP is part of the aircraft's Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3) modernization, alongside upgrades to the Panoramic Cockpit Display Electronic Unit and Aircraft Memory System. These hardware and software improvements provide additional processing and storage capacity needed to support planned Block 4 capabilities. The contract announcement does not specify whether the modification directly supports TR-3 or a particular Block 4 upgrade.
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The $16,111,551 firm-fixed-price modification (P00001) to delivery order N0001926F2222 includes engineering, program management, planning, readiness reviews, and introduction-to-service activities intended to sustain fleet operational readiness. The delivery order falls under basic ordering agreement N0001924G0010.
Fiscal 2026 aircraft procurement funds include $8,055,775 from the Air Force and $8,055,776 from the Navy. The full $16,111,551 will be obligated at the time of award. The contract modification was not competitively procured. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
Work will be performed in McKinney, Texas (50 percent), and Palm Bay, Fla. (50 percent), and is expected to be completed in January 2029.
