Lockheed Martin exceeds its F-35 delivery target for 2021

Lockheed Martin delivered a total of 142 F-35 fighter jets to the United States Military and its allies, three more than initially targeted even amid COVID-19 and the pandemic induced supply chain crisis.

The global security, defense, and aerospace company was able to exceed its targeted goal of 139 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters for 2021 due to the dedication and efforts of the defense company’s suppliers and a workforce combined with the efficiencies of digital engineering, Bridget Lauderdale, Lockheed Martin’s vice president of the F-35 program said in a statement.

The global defense giant was expected to deliver between 133 and 139 jets in 2021. The three additional jets delivered in 2021 will count towards 2022’s production goal, set at 151 to 153 aircraft. Meeting the delivery targets set for the year 2021 was positive for Lockheed Martin; the defense and aerospace company was forced to dampen the production pace in summer 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic upset the global supply chain.

Last September, the U.S. Pentagon, and Lockheed Martin agreed on a remodeled production plan that would allow the defense company to gradually ramp production of the F-35 fighter jets back up, with an intent to reach a stable pace of 156 F-35s per year in 2023 and beyond.