NAVAIR orders F-35 gun depot repair
Lockheed Martin to provide depot-level services for 25mm cannon arming all F-35 variants.
Lockheed Martin is to conduct depot-level repair work on the 25mm GAU-22/A four-barrel rotary cannon that is installed on Lot 11 production F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft.
The $14.72 million contract from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) covers all variants of the F-35, operated by the USAF, USMC and USN, as well as Lot 11 F-35s flown by allied air forces.
Work will be carried out at three locations in the US for completion by November 2024.
The single 25mm cannon on the F-35 is made by General Dynamics. The electrically powered gun can fire up to 3,300 rounds per minute. Options include frangible armour-piercing ammunition made by Rheinmetall.
You may also like
More from Air Warfare
-
![August crewed air review: KC-390 momentum builds as demand in the tanker market grows]()
August crewed air review: KC-390 momentum builds as demand in the tanker market grows
The KC-390 is building a growing international operator base, but competition in the transport and tanker market is increasingly likely to depend on interoperability, commonality and the strength of supporting ecosystems. Meanwhile, Boeing’s KC-46 and Airbus’s A330 also gained ground in August.
-
![New E-3 and T-38 awards expose US Air Force legacy fleet dependence]()
New E-3 and T-38 awards expose US Air Force legacy fleet dependence
Contracts for E-3 aircrew training through August 2029 and supplies for the T-38 engine until December 2028 reflect issues with replacement and retirement plans across the USAF inventory.
-
![USMC advances MV-22B Osprey safety and reliability upgrades]()
USMC advances MV-22B Osprey safety and reliability upgrades
The US Marine Corps is testing a redesigned input quill assembly and plans to transition its MV-22B fleet to improved gearboxes by January 2033 as it prepares to operate the tiltrotor through 2055.
-
![Swedish Air Force faces up to the challenge of new aircraft and an uncrewed horizon]()
Swedish Air Force faces up to the challenge of new aircraft and an uncrewed horizon
Sweden is an outlier as a smaller nation with its own indigenous fighter aircraft and airborne early warning platform and is now looking at how local company Saab Aerospace can meet the plans for a collaborative combat aircraft.
