Fighter jets lead the way as Lockheed sales rocket

The f-35 programme is the most expensive weapons project ever

Lockheed Martin, valued at about $100 billion, is one of the world’s largest defence companies.  The company makes aircraft, missiles, ships, combat vehicles, robots and electronic warfare systems, among other products.

Sales of the supersonic aircraft, F35 Lightning 11 fighter jet, which the company builds with BAE Systems, the British defence contractor, rose by 38 per cent, boosting Lockheed’s revenue by $570 million in the last three months of 2017.


Britain has agreed to buy 138 F-35Bs, the vertical take-off and landing variant of the F-35, at an estimated cost of £155 million each.  The United States is planning to buy 2,456 F-35s of all varieties.

Shares in Lockheed Martin rose by 1.9 per cent to close at $351.42 in New York last night.