Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company received a $1.34M definitive contract from the Office of Naval Research on December 1, 2020, for research and development services related to damage initiation and progression of post-buckled composite integrally stiffened panels. The contract is structured as a cost-plus-fixed-fee arrangement with an ultimate completion date of June 30, 2026, and will be performed at Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Georgia facility. This research initiative supports advanced materials and structural analysis capabilities critical to military aircraft development and sustainment programs.
The award represents a non-competitive procurement with no small business set-aside designation, reflecting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' established technical expertise in aerospace structures and composites engineering. The research findings on composite panel behavior under post-buckling conditions will inform design and durability assessments for military aircraft platforms supported by the Navy and broader Department of Defense. No major subcontractors were identified in the award documentation, indicating that Lockheed Martin is executing the full scope of the research and development effort internally at its Georgia operations.