Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has received three contracts totaling $7.7 million from the U.S. Air Force for the continued modernization and sustainment of the A-10 close air support fighter jet.

The contracts address the following content:

• A trade study to look for a new, more cost-efficient fuel system tester aimed at increasing overall maintenance effectiveness;
• Integration of the Fuel Quantity Intermediate Device to help pilots more effectively manage onboard fuel reserves that will maximize time on station during training and combat operations;
• Support of the Aircraft Structural Integrity Program to support safe flight operations, ensuring structural integrity of the A-10 fleet through the end of its service life.

“These three contracts continue our commitment to the A-10’s long-term sustainment,” said Roger Il Grande, A-10 program director at Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, NY. “We are proud of our 12-year history in the modernization and sustainment of the A-10, where we continue to apply the knowledge we’ve acquired on the program to provide the Air Force with the most up-to-date and fully capable aircraft possible.”

The three task orders are part of the Thunderbolt Lifecycle Program Support (TLPS), an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract that allows the U.S. Air Force to authorize up to $1.6 billion of aircraft support activity during an initial four-year order period followed by three two-year optional contract periods. Lockheed Martin was named as one of three associate prime contractors for TLPS in June 2009.

TLPS is the follow-on to the A-10 Prime Contract competitively awarded to Lockheed Martin in 1997. Much of the work to upgrade the aircraft to A-10C configuration with modern avionics, situational awareness and precision weapons capabilities was performed under a modification contract called Precision Engagement. Lockheed Martin will remain under contract to complete efforts that are underway, including work to provide Precision Engagement modification kits through 2011.

The Lockheed Martin A-10 industry team includes Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio TX; and Northrop Grumman, St. Augustine, FL. Lockheed Martin continues to operate the first-ever A-10 Systems Integration Lab at its Systems Integration – Owego facility. The lab is used by engineers and pilots to prototype software and hardware upgrades for operational validity before flight, to fully integrate aircraft avionics modifications to reduce development risk and cost, and to aid in pilot and maintainer familiarization of newly-deployed systems.