Lockheed Martin gets $40M contract modification to recoat Air Force F-22 Raptors

The Lockheed Martin Corporation has received a $40 million contract modification to strip and recoat the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor Fleet.

Under the new agreement, Lockheed will strip and recoat the stealth fighter jets, with an expected completion date of June 20, 2019, according to the Defense Department.

Lockheed established an F-22 Inlet Coating Repair Speedline facility in Marietta, Georgia, last August under an Air Force contract. The first F-22 arrived there in November, according to Lockheed Martin.

The original contract had Lockheed recoating 12 F-22s and the first plane was returned to the Air Force in February. The new contract modification will have all F-22s with reverting coating stripped and recoated.

The stealth F-22 relies on exterior coatings for its Very Low Observable radar cross-section, the feature that allows the plane to fly undetected by enemy radar.

Work will be performed at facilities in Palmdale, California; Marietta, Georgia; Hill Air Force Base, Utah; and Fort Worth, Texas. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, at Hill Air Force Base, Utah is overseeing the project. 

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