What is Lockheed Martin?

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What is Lockheed Martin?

Lockheed Martin, formed in 1995 when Lockheed Corporation and Martin Marietta merged, is a major defence contractor that produces a wide variety of military equipment[1], including:

  • Aircraft: The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft, the P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.
  • Missiles: The Trident II intercontinental ballistic missile, the Patriot air defence missile, and the Tomahawk cruise missile.
  • Space systems: The Orion spacecraft, the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) missile warning satellites, and the X-37B spaceplane.
  • Weapons systems: The Javelin anti-tank missile, the Hellfire air-to-ground missile, and the Phalanx close-in weapons system.
  • Command and control systems: The Aegis combat system, the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS), and the Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle.

Lockheed Martin is also a major supplier of military services, such as training, maintenance, and sustainment. In 2021, the company generated $66 billion in revenue[1]. The U.S. government was responsible for almost 70% of the company’s revenue in 2018. In fact, Lockheed Martin accounts for 28% of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD’s) total military procurement.[2]  Lockheed Martin is one of the world's largest defence contractors (in fact, the largest of all arms producers and military services providers in 2021 in arms sales[3]) and plays a major role in the U.S. military.[4]

The United States led the ranking of countries with highest military spending in 2022, with 877 billion U.S. dollars dedicated to the military. In 2021 the United States arms sales represented some 51% of the world total arms sales, so larger than all other countries combined.[5] In 2022 the total military spending - including personnel - worldwide amounted to 2.2 trillion U.S. dollars.[6] China was the second largest military spender with an estimated 292 billion U.S. dollars spent. The USA delivered major arms to 103 states in 2018–22, almost as many as the next two biggest exporters combined. Its total arms exports in 2018–22 was 148 per cent higher than those of Russia—the second largest exporter.[7]


Australia is the third largest global importer of arms from the United States in 2018–22, behind Saudia Arabia and Japan. Globally, Australia has the fourth largest share of arms imports with 4.7% globally (behind India, Saudi Arabia and Qatar). Australia, by far the largest arms importer in Oceania, is a key ally of the USA and is also building up its long-range strike capabilities based on a perceived heightened threat from China. Australia increased its arms imports by 23 per cent between 2013–17 and 2018–22. The delivery of 64 combat aircraft from the USA accounted for 62 per cent of Australian arms imports in the period.[8]  Australia climbed to be the fourth largest importer by increasing imports by over 60 per cent between 2012–16 and 2017–21. The largest sources were the US (67 per cent: primarily 50 combat aircraft and 11 anti-submarine aircraft), Spain (24 per cent: three destroyers) and Switzerland (3.3 per cent).[9]


[1] https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/products.html

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