Lockheed Martin and ManTech have announced a strategic teaming agreement aimed at transforming sustainment and readiness across the U.S. combat aircraft fleet through advanced, AI-driven solutions. The partnership brings together two major defense technology leaders to address one of the military’s most pressing challenges: keeping complex aircraft mission-ready in an increasingly contested and data-driven operating environment.

Under the agreement, Lockheed Martin and ManTech will work jointly to integrate artificial intelligence–enabled sustainment capabilities across both legacy and next-generation combat aircraft platforms. These solutions are designed to provide real-time monitoring of aircraft health and performance, enabling earlier detection of potential issues before they affect operations. By shifting from reactive maintenance to predictive and condition-based maintenance, the collaboration aims to significantly reduce downtime, improve fleet availability, and extend the operational lifespan of critical air assets.

Key Focus

A key focus of the effort is the delivery of predictive maintenance tools that use AI and advanced analytics to analyze vast streams of aircraft data. These tools will help forecast component wear and system failures, allowing maintenance teams to plan repairs more efficiently and avoid costly and unexpected groundings. In parallel, the partnership will support optimized logistics planning, ensuring that spare parts, maintenance resources, and personnel are positioned where and when they are needed most. Together, these capabilities are expected to improve mission readiness while reducing sustainment costs over the long term.

Security remains a central pillar of the initiative. Both companies emphasized that all AI-enabled sustainment solutions will adhere to the highest cybersecurity and data protection standards required for U.S. and allied defense operations. As combat aircraft become increasingly connected and software-defined, ensuring the integrity, resilience, and trustworthiness of sustainment systems is critical to operational success.

Lockheed Martin highlighted the strategic importance of the collaboration in building scalable and resilient sustainment ecosystems. Nicholas Smythe, vice president of Business Development for Sustainment at Lockheed Martin, said the partnership will combine complementary strengths to create solutions that can be deployed not only across the U.S. military, but also among allied nations operating American-built aircraft. He noted that the effort supports a global vision of sustainment that enhances interoperability and readiness across partner air forces.

ManTech echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the operational impact of real-time performance insights. David Hathaway, president of ManTech’s Defense Sector, said the collaboration will deliver the data-driven visibility needed to maximize readiness and extend the service life of the U.S. combat aircraft fleet. According to ManTech, integrating AI into sustainment workflows represents a critical step toward modernizing defense operations for the demands of future conflicts.

At the core of the partnership is the combination of Lockheed Martin’s AI Factory—a framework for developing, deploying, and scaling AI solutions across defense programs—and ManTech’s deep expertise in defense analytics, enterprise modernization, and secure mission integration. By aligning these capabilities, the companies aim to accelerate improvements in reliability, operational efficiency, and mission availability across air forces.

As global security challenges evolve, the Lockheed Martin–ManTech teaming agreement underscores a broader shift toward data-driven, AI-enabled sustainment as a force multiplier for modern military aviation.

Defence & Strategic Affairs