Lockheed Martin has signed a new contract with the US Department of Defense in the amount of $ 33.4 million. The money will be used to support Israel's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, or rather, to help develop its most advanced version, known as Block 4.
What does it mean? The F-35 is not just an airplane, but a flying computer, and its capabilities are constantly being updated with new versions of hardware and, especially, software. Block 4 is the largest upgrade in the history of the program: it will add new combat functions, improve sensors, enhance combat communication between aircraft and other systems, and expand the arsenal of compatible weapons.
Israel, as one of the key international partners of the F-35 program, wants not just to fly these fighters, but to deeply integrate them into its own defense ecosystem. Therefore, some of the design and software work is carried out directly in Israel, with the participation of local engineers and defense companies. This contract is designed to support the second stage of the development and design of systems on Israeli territory.
Such localization is an important step. It gives Israel more control over technology, allows it to adapt the F-35 to its unique tasks (for example, countering enemy air defenses or operations in the dense airspace of the Middle East) and reduces dependence on supplies from abroad in the event of a crisis.
Lockheed Martin will coordinate these efforts by providing access to source codes, technical documentation, and simulation tools. The work ahead is extensive: from software architecture design to testing new combat algorithms.
As a result, although the contract was awarded to an American company, the whole system wins: the United States strengthens its alliance with Israel, and Israel gains more technological independence, and the F-35 becomes even smarter, more powerful and more deadly.
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