Lockheed Martin has entered into a strategic teaming agreement with Virginia-based IT firm MANTECH aimed at transforming how the US military sustains and manages its combat aircraft fleet using artificial intelligence. The collaboration focuses on real-time aircraft performance monitoring, predictive maintenance, and data-driven logistics optimization, all built within secure, defense-grade digital environments. By applying AI analytics to large volumes of operational and maintenance data, the partnership seeks to identify emerging system issues before failures occur, reducing aircraft downtime and improving mission availability. The initiative aligns with the US Department of Defense’s broader push toward condition-based maintenance and digital sustainment ecosystems, particularly for complex, high-value platforms. Emphasis is placed on cybersecurity and data integrity, ensuring sensitive operational data remains protected throughout collection, processing, and analysis. Lockheed Martin and MANTECH expect the approach to extend aircraft service life, improve readiness rates, and lower sustainment costs while enabling commanders to make faster, more informed decisions. The agreement reflects a growing recognition that AI-enabled sustainment will play a central role in maintaining combat power across future multi-domain operations.
