Key facts
- Lockheed Martin received a $16.1 million contract to develop and support a next-generation multifunction mission processor for the F-35 Lightning II.
- The contract was announced by the Department of War on October 14, 2026.
- The award record shows a $2.00M ceiling for the contract as of the last USAspending load.
- The ICP handles data from the F-35's Distributed Aperture System (DAS) as well as radar, electronic warfare, communications, guidance and control, cockpit and helmet displays.
Lockheed Martin received a $16.1 million contract on October 14, 2026 to develop and support a next-generation multifunction mission processor for the F-35 Lightning II, with work split between McKinney, Texas and Palm Bay, Florida.
The Department of War announced the award as part of six contract actions totaling $754.3 million on the same date. Funding includes $8,055,775 from Fiscal 2026 aircraft procurement (Air Force) and $8,055,776 from Fiscal 2026 aircraft procurement (Navy), to be obligated at award.
The contract aims to modernize the F-35’s avionics test capabilities and cybersecurity infrastructure. It also finances specialized repair infrastructure for the F-35 Integrated Core Processor and represents a modification (P00001) from the Naval Air Systems Command to Lockheed Martin.
The Integrated Core Processor handles data from the F-35’s radar, electronic warfare, communications, guidance and control systems, and cockpit and helmet displays. It additionally processes information from the Distributed Aperture System.
Work will be performed equally in McKinney, Texas and Palm Bay, Florida. The contract is expected to be completed in January 2029. The agreement was not competitively procured. The award record shows a $2.00M ceiling for the contract as of the last USAspending load.
The Department of War’s October 14 announcement covered six separate contract actions with a combined value of $754.3 million. This particular contract is one of those actions.
By updating avionics test capabilities and cybersecurity infrastructure, the contract supports the F-35’s mission systems. The Integrated Core Processor remains a central hub for fusing sensor data across the aircraft.
The contract does not involve any competitively bid process, reflecting a direct modification to an existing agreement. All funds are to be obligated upon award. Located in Texas and Florida, the work sites will allocate effort evenly between the two locations. Completion is set for the first month of 2029.
The broader set of October 14 actions demonstrates sustained investment in the F-35 enterprise. Each action contributes to sustaining and upgrading the fleet’s capabilities. No further details about future contracts or potential follow-on work are provided in the available sources.
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