Harris Corporation (NYSE:HRS), an international communications and information technology company, has been awarded a $32.7 million follow-on production contract from Lockheed Martin to supply avionics infrastructure components for the U.S. Department of Defense F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft. This Low Rate Initial Production contract brings the total value of the program for Harris to more than $500 million since 2001.

Harris is providing Lockheed Martin with next-generation avionics infrastructure components that house the radar and Integrated Core Processor (ICP) electronics on the F35. These are installed during F-35 assembly operations in Ft. Worth, Texas. Harris also provides state-of-the-art power distribution products and fiber-optic network solutions that are integrated throughout the aircraft avionics subsystems.

This latest contract covers production of up to 32 additional aircraft. More than 90 low-rate initial production aircraft are under contract to date, and plans call for production of more than 3,000 aircraft over the life of the F-35 program. The F-35 is a highly lethal, survivable weapon system that will serve as a cornerstone of future defense capability for the U.S. and its allied partners. It is designed to replace the A-10, the AV-8 Harrier, the F-16 and the F/A-18.

"This follow-on contract reflects the success of our past performance on the F-35 program and our ongoing commitment to meeting its technology leadership and affordability objectives," said Sheldon Fox, group president, Harris Government Communications Systems. "The infrastructure and electronics we are providing are critical to providing more efficient, affordable and higher-capacity avionics capabilities than ever before."

Harris also provides advanced avionics solutions as a preferred supplier for other major new development aircraft and upgrades such as the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.