Lockheed Martin to add new F-35 Mission Data Load production line at ACURL
USAF technicians performing a pre-flight check of an F-35A. (Photo: USAF)
A new Mission Data Load production line for the F-35 at the Australia, Canada and UK Reprogramming Laboratory (ACURL) will support Australian and UK sovereign reprogramming capabilities.
US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Lockheed Martin a contract worth up to $213.3 million to deliver engineering, maintenance, logistics, and material support for the Australia, Canada and UK Reprogramming Laboratory (ACURL) at Eglin AFB, Florida.
The work, in support of the Phase 2 ACURL construction upgrade at Eglin, also includes the provision of a new Mission Data Load (MDL) production and test line to support sovereign F-35 reprogramming capabilities for Australia and the UK.
Work will be performed at Eglin (65%) and Fort Worth (35%) for completion by July 2027, the DoD announced on 27 July.
MDLs for the F-35 help the various sensors aboard the F-35 to identify threats. MDL files are loaded aboard the aircraft before flight via a portable hard drive.
Australia operates the F-35A conventional take-off and landing variant while the UK flies F-35B short take-off and landing aircraft.
Canada only recently joined the F-35 programme as a customer, choosing the F-35A in March 2022 as a replacement for its fleet of CF-18 Hornets.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
More from Digital Battlespace
-
![Israel sets up new department to boost development of AI and autonomy]()
Israel sets up new department to boost development of AI and autonomy
Israel will continue to develop autonomy for its weapons and platforms as it brings together defence personnel, academia and industry.
-
![Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s]()
Clavister contracted to supply cyber protection for CV90s
Clavister CyberArmour, an integrated defence cybersecurity system, will be used on BAE Systems Hägglunds’ CV90 platform in deployments with a Scandinavian country, as well as in an eastern European nation.
-
![Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch]()
Lockheed Martin completes tactical satellite demonstration and prepares for launch
The tactical satellite (TacSat) is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) system and will participate in exercises in 2025.
-
![AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family]()
AUSA 2024: General Micro Systems adds four new products to the X9 Spider family
The airborne three-domain, the two ground-based and the ¼ ATR OpenVPX-based cross-domain systems were engineered to provide real-time security across multi-domain operations.
-
![BAE Systems gets go-ahead for second phase of mission communications programme]()
BAE Systems gets go-ahead for second phase of mission communications programme
DARPA’s Mission-Integrated Network Control (MINC) programme was set up to develop an autonomous tactical network and enable critical data flow in contested environments.
-
![Just Released: Space Technology Report]()
Just Released: Space Technology Report
Why space is an essential part of modern military capabilities
