Military Audit: Lockheed Martin

Direct Defence Contracting & Procurement

Lockheed Martin’s F-35 relationship with Israel is structured as a U.S. government-to-government Foreign Military Sales/Foreign Military Financing program rather than a direct commercial contract between the company and Israel’s Ministry of Defense; Israel’s Ministry of Defense mission to the United States signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for a third F-35 squadron of 25 aircraft valued at roughly $3 billion ¹². In May 2026, Israel’s government gave final approval to purchase a fourth F-35 squadron from Lockheed Martin alongside a second F-15IA squadron from Boeing, in a package reported as worth tens of billions of dollars ³. Lockheed Martin separately won an Israeli-funded $11.4 million contract to upgrade F-35I “Adir” software through 2030 ⁴. Israel’s Air Force formally rolled out its first F-35I “Adir” in June 2016 under a 2010-era FMS agreement ⁵. Lockheed Martin also maintains a formal Israeli subsidiary, Lockheed Martin Israel Ltd, registered with the Israeli Corporations Authority in August 2014 and focused on cybersecurity, IT, data analytics and cloud storage ⁶. No public evidence identified of a direct, non-FMS commercial contract between Lockheed Martin and the Israel Prison Service or Israel Border Police.

Dual-Use Products & Tactical Variants

The F-35I “Adir” is a bespoke Israeli variant that layers a domestically developed electronic-warfare suite onto Lockheed Martin’s baseline avionics, reflecting a negotiated degree of national customization ⁷. Under the Umbrella Industrial Cooperation Agreement, Lockheed Martin has committed to reinvest 35% of new contract value into Israeli companies and has invested more than $470 million in Israeli companies and projects since the agreement’s 2020 signing ⁸⁹¹⁰. No public evidence identified of a distinct civilian-market variant of Lockheed Martin’s F-35, F-16, Hellfire or PAC-3 lines sold in Israel outside the FMS/Ministry of Defense military channel, as these platforms are inherently military rather than dual-use civilian products.

Heavy Machinery, Construction & Infrastructure

No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin equipment, vehicles or machinery being used in settlement construction, demolition, separation-barrier construction, or checkpoint and detention-facility construction; research into this category consistently surfaced other manufacturers rather than Lockheed Martin. No public evidence identified linking Lockheed Martin’s core aerospace, missile and C4ISR business lines to heavy construction equipment manufacturing in the Israeli context.

Supply Chain Integration with Defence Primes

Elbit Systems supplies more than 1,400 components of the F-35’s Forward Equipment Bay composite structural assemblies to Lockheed Martin across all F-35 variants, under a contract expanded in September 2020 ¹¹. Israel Aerospace Industries and Lockheed Martin signed a Memorandum of Understanding in July 2021 to cooperate on Integrated Air and Missile Defense systems, under which Lockheed Martin took over production of Arrow 3 interceptor components from Boeing while Arrow 4 co-development began shortly after with U.S.-Israel involvement ¹²¹³. Lockheed Martin and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems signed a teaming agreement in December 2022 to jointly develop, test and manufacture a High Energy Laser Weapon System variant of Israel’s “Iron Beam” for the U.S. and other markets, building on Rafael and Israeli Ministry of Defense DDR&D-developed assets ¹⁴¹⁵. Lockheed Martin and Rafael also hold an expanded teaming agreement, building on a prior 2019 agreement, to jointly develop, market, manufacture and support Rafael’s SPICE-250 precision-guided glide weapon for the U.S. military ¹⁶. Together these relationships span composite structural and airframe assemblies, missile-interceptor sub-components, directed-energy weapon co-development, and precision-guided munition co-development with three of Israel’s principal defence contractors ^111213141516.

Logistical Sustainment & Base Services

No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin providing catering, transport, fuel, waste-management or facilities-maintenance services to IDF bases, training facilities or detention centres. Lockheed Martin delivered Israel’s first C-130J Super Hercules, named “Shimshon,” in April 2014 under Foreign Military Sales, supporting the Israeli Air Force’s airlift sustainment and training ¹⁷. No public evidence identified of a specific geographic tie between this airlift program and West Bank, Golan Heights, East Jerusalem or Negev installations. No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin shipping, freight-forwarding or port-handling contracts specific to Israeli military cargo distinguishable from routine Foreign Military Sales logistics.

Munitions, Weapons Systems & Strategic Platforms

Lockheed Martin manufactures Hellfire missiles, including the Longbow AGM-114L and R9X variants, fired from Apache helicopters used extensively by the Israeli Air Force in Gaza operations; AFSC Investigate documents at least 1,445 Hellfire missiles supplied to Israel between 1990 and 2006 ¹⁸. A leaked internal U.S. document reported by journalist Ken Klippenstein in November 2023 stated that approximately 2,000 Hellfire missiles were transferred to Israel between 7 October and 14 November 2023 as Israel’s Gaza ground operation intensified ¹⁹. A Hellfire R9X variant was reportedly used in a November 2023 strike near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City that killed journalists, according to Press TV citing unnamed sources, though this attribution has not been independently corroborated by other outlets ²⁰. Amnesty International’s September 2025 briefing states that Lockheed Martin “supplies and services” Israel’s F-16 and F-35 fleets, describing them as the backbone of the Israeli Air Force used extensively during the bombardment of Gaza ²¹²². Lockheed Martin now produces batches of Arrow 3 interceptor components under the 2021 Israel Aerospace Industries memorandum of understanding, with Arrow 4 development underway ¹²¹³. Israel operated up to eight Patriot batteries, some upgraded to PAC-3-capable configuration, before beginning retirement of the system from mid-2024 in favor of Arrow and David’s Sling, with retired interceptors transferred to Ukraine via the United States by January 2025 ²³²⁴; No public evidence identified of a current, active new-build PAC-3 sale specifically to Israel, as distinct from broader U.S. Army production contracts and Gulf-state PAC-3 sales ²⁵. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky subsidiary manufactures the UH-60/S-70 Black Hawk, known in Israeli service as the “Yanshuf”; Israel received its first ten Black Hawks in 1994 tied to the Oslo Accords security package and ordered additional new-build S-70A-50 aircraft via Foreign Military Sales in 1997 (approximately $180 million) and 2000, with the type used operationally over Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza since 1996 ²⁶. The Iron Beam and SPICE-250 programs described above are explicitly intended to also produce U.S.-market variants ¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶. No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin acting as prime contractor for small arms, artillery, or naval vessels supplied to Israel.

Export Licensing, Regulatory & Legal History

Al-Haq, supported by Oxfam, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and represented with the Global Legal Action Network, brought judicial review against the UK Department for Business and Trade over its September 2024 decision to suspend roughly 30 of 350 arms export licences to Israel while explicitly excluding Lockheed Martin F-35 component exports - including refuelling probes, laser targeting systems, tyres and ejector seats - from the suspension ²⁷²⁸. The UK High Court ruled on 30 June 2025 that this carve-out was lawful, accepting the government’s own finding that F-35 parts “could be used in breach of international humanitarian law” but holding the matter non-justiciable ²⁹³⁰. The Court of Appeal refused permission to further challenge the ruling on 13 November 2025, while explicitly accepting a clear risk that UK-manufactured F-35 components may be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law in Gaza, leaving the carve-out in effect ³¹. In parallel Dutch litigation, the Hague Court of Appeal ordered the Dutch government in February 2024 to halt all F-35 parts exports to Israel from the F-35 European regional warehouse at Woensdrecht, citing risk of international humanitarian law violations ³². The Dutch Supreme Court overturned that ruling on 3 October 2025, holding that reassessment of the export licence is a ministerial rather than judicial function and ordering the government to reassess within six weeks ³³³⁴; as of 14 November 2025 the Dutch cabinet stated it would delay resumption of F-35 parts deliveries pending that review, leaving the suspension in practical effect ³⁵. On export-control enforcement unrelated to Israel, the U.S. State Department charged Lockheed Martin in 2008 with Arms Export Control Act/ITAR violations for providing Hellfire missile technical data to the United Arab Emirates between 2003 and 2004 without an export licence ³⁶, and Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sippican was separately fined $3 million for ITAR violations tied to a lapse in Technical Assistance Agreement coverage for NULKA missile decoy technical data shared with BAE Systems Australia ³⁷. No public evidence identified of an Israel-specific ITAR enforcement action against Lockheed Martin. No public evidence identified of a formal arms-embargo citation or sanctions-compliance enforcement action specifically naming Lockheed Martin’s Israel trade, as distinct from the UK and Dutch judicial-review proceedings, which challenge government licensing decisions rather than allege Lockheed Martin non-compliance. The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a Major Arms Sale of F-35 spare engines to Israel in August 2024, and the State Department’s Fiscal Year 2025 arms transfers report documents the broader U.S.-Israel defense trade relationship ³⁸³⁹.

Civil Society Scrutiny & Documented Investigations

Amnesty International’s September 2025 briefing on “the global political economy enabling Israel’s genocide, occupation and apartheid” names Lockheed Martin among fifteen profiled companies, citing its F-16 and F-35 supply and servicing role as central to Israeli Air Force operations in Gaza ²¹²². The PAX/Don’t Buy Into Occupation coalition report of June 2024 names Lockheed Martin as one of six companies meeting its criteria for supplying new weapons to Israel between January 2019 and December 2023, and identifies BNP Paribas as the largest financier of that group, alongside Crédit Agricole, Deutsche Bank, Barclays, UBS, Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global, and Allianz ⁴⁰. AFSC Investigate maintains an ongoing company profile tracking Lockheed Martin’s F-16, F-35, Hellfire and MLRS supply history to Israel, recording Department of Defense contract totals of $459.2 billion between 2008 and August 2024 and U.S. border-security contract totals exceeding $1.1 billion between 2005 and August 2024 ¹⁸⁴¹. A June 2024 statement by UN human rights experts called on states and companies broadly to end arms transfers to Israel immediately or risk legal responsibility for human rights violations, though this is a general expert statement rather than a Lockheed-specific finding ⁴². Secondary reporting on the UN Special Rapporteur’s June 2025 report on the economy of occupation and genocide describes Lockheed Martin’s shareholder structure, including BlackRock and Vanguard holdings, and a 2019–2024 MIT-administered “Lockheed Martin Seed Fund” connecting students to teams in Israel, and lists the company among firms said to provide tools and logistical support integrated into occupation infrastructure, though this characterization could not be independently confirmed against the primary report text ⁴³⁴⁴. No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin appearing in the OHCHR Database of Business Enterprises maintained pursuant to Human Rights Council resolutions 31/36 and 53/25 ⁴⁵. A shareholder proposal filed for Lockheed Martin’s 2024 annual meeting asked the board to annually evaluate and publicly report on alignment between the company’s political activities and its Human Rights Policy, explicitly citing Lockheed’s “product sales to Israel” as rendering the company “complicit” in the humanitarian crisis in Gaza ⁴⁶; the Anti-Defamation League and JLens publicly urged shareholders to reject this and similar proposals at Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics ⁴⁷. Protesters called for the removal of Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet from the board of the Mass General Brigham hospital system in April 2025, citing his role leading a company profiting from the war in Gaza ⁴⁸. According to reporting on Lockheed Martin’s Q1 2026 earnings call, CEO James Taiclet described the Middle East as “a golden opportunity right now based on who’s in government,” citing demand for the company’s products ⁴⁹. Lockheed Martin extended its industrial cooperation agreement with Israel through 2029 to boost trade, having previously signed an umbrella offset/industrial-cooperation agreement in 2020 that its chief operating officer has since discussed extending ⁵⁰⁸¹⁰. No public evidence identified of Lockheed Martin issuing a public policy statement, contract termination, or enhanced end-use-monitoring commitment specifically in response to civil society pressure regarding its Israel defence supply chain; the company’s public messaging identified in this research is uniformly framed as expanding, rather than curtailing, the relationship ^5081049.

End Notes