Jane Edwards 
Lockheed Martin and MANTECH have partnered to integrate artificial intelligence-based sustainment platforms into the U.S. fleet of combat aircraft.
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In a joint release published Monday, the companies will combine Lockheed’s AI Factory with MANTECH’s experience in defense analytics, mission integration and enterprise modernization to achieve operational efficiency and readiness across forces.
Under the strategic partnership, MANTECH and Lockheed will provide predictive maintenance, aircraft performance monitoring, mission availability and logistics support across next-generation and legacy platforms.
“This partnership delivers the real-time performance needed to maximize the readiness and operational lifespan of the U.S. combat aircraft fleet,” said David Hathaway, president of MANTECH’s defense sector.
“This collaboration between Lockheed Martin and MANTECH will generate a unified team of strengths, capable of creating resilient sustainment ecosystems that can be projected to America and its allies around the world,” said Nicholas Smythe, vice president of business development for sustainment at Lockheed.
What Is Lockheed Martin AI Factory?
Lockheed’s AI Factory is an internal digital platform and ecosystem designed to rapidly develop, field and scale AI platforms for defense and national security missions.
The platform provides engineers with access to computing power and a scalable graphics processing unit, or GPU, environment for training algorithms. It also offers curated data, machine learning operations, or MLOps, tools and security protocols to enable developers to accelerate the development and delivery of autonomous systems, predictive analytics and other tech platforms to customers.
How Does MANTECH Demonstrate Its Role in Mission Integration & Enterprise Modernization?
MANTECH’s work in mission integration, defense analytics and enterprise modernization is reflected in its recent contract awards and latest acquisition.
In early December, the company acquired data science and AI firm Elder Research, expanding its capacity to deliver predictive maintenance and analytics platforms to government and commercial clients.
In September, MANTECH secured a $910 million task order from U.S. Southern Command to provide enterprise-level cyber and IT services, including network modernization and infrastructure platforms, to help SOUTHCOM prepare for future AI deployment. In May 2024, the company received a $110 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for IT modernization services.
