Despite Lisbon’s hesitancy to purchase the F-35, Lockheed Martin has signed a memorandum with AED Cluster Portugal to develop a framework for domestic involvement in the fighter jet’s global production and support system.
AED will work to identify qualified Portuguese companies specializing in areas such as electrical systems, aircraft tooling, composite materials, and AI-based maintenance diagnostics. These firms could contribute to future export components or in-service support systems.
The agreement serves as a forward-looking strategy, giving Portugal the ability to enter the F-35 ecosystem and scale up domestic defense industry capacity—key factors in NATO-aligned modernization.

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