Lockheed Martin exceeds aircraft delivery goal for 2019

Lockheed Martin exceeded its joint government and industry delivery goal for 2019, delivering 134 F-35 aircraft.

The goal for the year was 131 aircraft. The deliveries represent a 200 percent production increase from 2016 and a 47 percent increase from 2018.

“This achievement is a testament to the readiness of the full F-35 enterprise to ramp to full-rate production, and we continue to focus on improving on-time deliveries across the entire weapons system,” Greg Ulmer, Lockheed Martin vice president and general manager of the F-35 program, said. “We have met our annual delivery targets three years in a row and continue to increase production rates, improve efficiencies, and reduce costs. The F-35 is the most capable fighter jet in the world, and we’re now delivering the 5th Generation weapon system at a cost equal to or lower than a less capable 4th Generation legacy aircraft.”

The F-35A costs $77.9 million. During 2019, the company delivered 23 F-35s for foreign military sales customers, 30 for international partner nations, and 81 for the United States.

The final delivery was a Short Takeoff and Vertical Landing model for the U.S. Marine Corps.

Lockheed Martin’s goal for 2020 is to deliver 141 F-35s and to increase production volume.