PATUXENT RIVER, Md. - Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. in Fort Worth, Texas, will redesign two navigation systems for the F-35 Lightning II under a $114.6 million U.S. Navy order intended to replace obsolete electronic components and prevent production disruptions.
The cost-plus-fixed-fee order covers nonrecurring engineering, redesign, integration, qualification, and testing for the aircraft's Global Positioning System Electronic Unit and NAV100 Inertial Navigation System. The effort will address diminishing manufacturing sources while maintaining existing system performance and compatibility with other aircraft systems. Work is expected to be completed in January 2030.
The GPS Electronic Unit supports satellite-based positioning, while the NAV100 Inertial Navigation System uses onboard motion measurements to estimate the aircraft's navigation state. Redesigning the units requires engineers to replace obsolete components while preserving their functionality and interfaces with the aircraft's avionics architecture. The Navy's announcement does not identify the specific components being replaced or detail changes to either system's design.
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Sustaining the Lightning
The order comes as the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin pursue a broader framework agreement for F-35 production and sustainment. Announced 22 Oct., the proposed 10-year arrangement covers 850 U.S. aircraft, associated initial spare parts, 10 years of modification kits and sustainment, and international customer orders across production Lots 21 through 30. The framework calls for continued production at a rate of 156 aircraft annually.
The multiyear arrangement remains subject to congressional authorization and appropriations. If those requirements are met, the F-35 Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin would finalize contract terms, pricing, and schedules. Lockheed Martin says the framework is intended to improve supply-chain stability, increase production efficiencies and strengthen fleet readiness.
The navigation-system redesign addresses a related challenge for the F-35 industrial base: maintaining access to electronic components needed to build and sustain the aircraft as manufacturers discontinue older parts. A 2020 Navy ManTech project also examined obsolescence in the F-35 GPS Electronic Unit and explored repackaging existing radio-frequency processing technology. Public information does not establish whether the current redesign builds on that earlier effort.
Work under the Navy order will be performed in El Segundo, Calif. (70.1%); Fort Worth, Texas (27.5%); and Clearwater, Fla. (2.4%). Funding at award includes $46.4 million in fiscal 2026 Air Force aircraft procurement funds, $46.4 million in Navy aircraft procurement funds, and $21.8 million from F-35 cooperative program partners.
The order, N0001927F1037, was issued against a previously awarded basic ordering agreement, N0001924G0010, and was not competitively procured. Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.
