Lockheed Martin received a $40. 2 million contract to procure the long-lead-time parts, materials, and components for Japan’s first four F-35 strike fighters, according to the Pentagon’s list of major contracts for March 25. Japan is procuring some 42 F-35As—the Air Force conventional-takeoff variant—under a foreign military sale with the United States that the Pentagon formally announced in April 2012. Under the contract’s terms, Lockheed Martin is scheduled to complete the long-lead work in February 2014, states the contract description. The company will build Japan’s first four F-35As as part of the F-35’s eighth low-rate production lot. (See also Japan Selects F-35.)
The Space Force is playing a key role in planning for “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s initiative for comprehensive air and missile defense of the homeland, leaders said this week. But actually building and fielding the ambitious idea will require a major concerted effort across the Pentagon and intelligence community.