Lockheed Martin UK has been awarded a £264 million contract to maintain Britain’s F-35 Lightning fleet below a brand new five-year deal referred to as the Lightning Air System Nationwide Functionality Enterprise 28–32, or LANCE 28–32.
Printed by Defence Tools and Help on 4 November, the discover confirms that the LANCE contract will function the Nationwide Help Answer (NSS) for the UK’s F-35B plane. It’s designed to offer the “Freedom of Motion” companies that complement the broader F-35 World Help Answer (GSS) managed by america.
In accordance with the Ministry of Defence, “LANCE 28–32 companies can be delivered by the Contractor on the Primary Working Base and when deployed and embarked. Companies will embrace operations, technical, upkeep, coaching, logistics and services administration help.”
The deal, valued at £220 million earlier than VAT, runs from January 2028 to December 2032, with the choice to increase by 2033.
The LANCE enterprise successfully secures Britain’s unbiased sustainment functionality throughout the wider international F-35 ecosystem, offering native management over vital upkeep, spares administration, and operational help whereas making certain interoperability with allied fleets.
It would cowl operations each at residence and abroad, together with embarked help for the Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class plane carriers, which function the principle operational platform for the Lightning Drive. The contract represents a continuation of the UK’s long-term dedication to the F-35 programme, which stays central to the Royal Air Drive and Royal Navy’s joint service strike functionality.
The LANCE framework additionally helps Britain’s said aim of sustaining “sovereign freedom of motion” inside a multinational programme that has generally drawn scrutiny for its dependence on US logistics and software program infrastructure. The contract, revealed below the Procurement Act 2023’s transparency necessities, marks one of many largest post-sustainment help packages for a UK air system this decade.