Lockheed Reaches Optical System Milestone for F-35 Fighter Plane

Lockheed Martin Corp. said it has delivered its 200th electro-optical targeting system (EOTS) for the U.S. armed forces F-35 Lightning II fighter planes.

The company is delivering F-35 EOTS under low-rate initial production contracts with a total of 367 systems ordered to date. Planned production quantities for the F-35 exceed 3,000 aircraft with deliveries through 2030.

The company said its F-35 EOTS is the first sensor to combine forward-looking IR and IR search-and-track functionality to provide F-35 pilots with precise air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting capability. EOTS allows aircrews to identify areas of interest, perform reconnaissance and precisely deliver laser- and GPS-guided weapons while maintaining a stealthy profile.

The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation fighter plane, combining advanced stealth with high speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps and a variety of fighters for at least 10 other countries.

Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.