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Lockheed Martin emphasises self-funding efforts for “big bet” next-gen prototypes

23rd October 2025 - 16:20 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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Sikorsky’s autonomous Black Hawk was unveiled in October at AUSA. (Photo: Sikorsky)

A significant effort is now being made to focus on showcasing prototypes directly to demonstrate various capabilities to the US government.

Lockheed Martin has emphasised an adjustment to how the company spends internal research and development (R&D) funds towards “big-bet, home run” projects.

Speaking during the company’s Q3 earnings call, president and CEO Jim Taiclet said that Lockheed Martin’s approach to R&D allocation has shifted slowly over the last five years towards a focus on developing self-funded prototypes.

Once divided between business units for their own important programmes, an increasing level of the funding now goes towards what Taiclet termed as “real highlight corporate-level R&D programmes”.

The company hit a record quarter with a US$179 billion backlog and strong global demand for

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Author

Lucy Powell

Lucy Powell is Shephard’s Air Reporter. She has spent the last two years reporting …

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