The Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin a $536 million contract modification for sustainment services on the F-22 Raptor fifth-generation fighter jet, the company announced Wednesday. The funding is connected to a Performance-Based Logistics contract, which provides overall sustainment for F-22 weapons systems at US bases globally for 2017. The F-22 made its combat debut against ISIS in 2014 and deployed to Europe for the first time last year as part of the United States’ effort to assure allies wary of Russian aggression in the region. (See also: Keeping F-22s Modern.)
The U.S. military is sending more fighter jets to the Middle East to step up its war with Iran, adding to what is already the largest buildup of airpower in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. For now, the operation shows little sign of coming to a quick…