Fort Worth, US, May 15, 2026 (Lusa) – Lockheed Martin acknowledges it may produce F-35 fifth-generation fighter components in Portugal and handle their maintenance, should the Portuguese government choose the aircraft to replace the F-16 fleet.
The production line for the F-35, one of the world's most advanced fighters, at the Lockheed Martin facilities in Fort Worth, Texas, spans approximately one kilometre. About 200 aircraft remain "parked" across the floor, ranging from fully assembled jets to those consisting only of wings.
The scale lives up to the local saying that "everything is bigger in Texas." Some of the company’s thousands of workers travel by bicycle, while Portuguese journalists invited by Lockheed Martin toured the site in a golf buggy.
Shelves hold thousands of parts, and green primer coats wings before their final finish. Each fighter jet carries a number and a flag identifying its destination, such as the US, Germany, Canada, or South Korea.
Lockheed Martin hopes to display a Portuguese flag soon on this production line, which turns out 156 fighters annually. Sweden’s SAAB with the Gripen and a European consortium including Airbus with its Eurofighter Typhoon are competing to replace the Portuguese F-16 fleet.
While the deal remains pending, the US company is highlighting the potential for component production and fighter maintenance in Portugal. "It is absolutely possible," Robert Weitzman, F-35 International Business Development Director, told the Portuguese press.
"We are not starting relationships with Portuguese industry, we are following up on them," he said, recalling previous collaboration on programmes such as the P-3 and F-16.
Lockheed Martin has been in contact with the Portuguese Air Force, officials said, although no official dialogue has yet taken place with the government. The executive is expected to review the Military Programming Law (LPM) this year to include the new fighter jets in its planning.
Beyond the potential production of components, the American firm identified 16 possible partnership projects in Portugal involving companies, universities, and research centres. These areas include co-production, technological collaboration, exports, supply chain integration, and joint research and development projects.
"This is a long-term investment, spanning decades, and a critical deterrence capability. There is no better platform to stay ahead of threats today and in the coming decades," Weitzman said.
On the runway, Carlton “Puff” Wilson, a pilot for 22 years, stands next to an imposing F-35 Model A, which looks as though it has stepped straight out of the famous film "Top Gun".
Its grey "stealth" coating immediately stands out. This "stealth skin", applied to the aircraft's surface, makes it nearly undetectable by enemy radar, ensuring operational superiority and higher survival rates.
While Swedish firm SAAB says that the difference between fourth-generation fighters like the Gripen and fifth-generation jets like the F-35 is merely marketing, "Puff" rejected this claim. He highlighted differences such as "sensor fusion", which aggregates information and presents it to the pilot, including through a helmet-mounted display.
"You cannot integrate these features into fourth-generation aircraft. I cannot put fibre optic cables into a fourth-generation plane. I cannot implement stealth design characteristics into a fourth-generation aircraft," he said.
One noticeable difference between a Gripen-E and an F-35 involves weapon placement. While the Swedish fighter displays missiles attached to its wings, the F-35 incorporates weapons internally to aid its near-invisibility, though it can also carry them externally in "beast mode".
Lockheed has been using the argument of real-world experience as a way to convince customers such as Portugal. Regarding the problems that have been reported concerning software updates, at a time when F-35s are in action in the conflict between the US and Israel and Iran, officials state that this is a “programme undergoing continuous improvement” and guarantee “high levels” of readiness.
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