ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 2, 2026 – The U.S. government awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $328.5 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract for the production of IRST21^® Legion-ES^® sensor systems. This contract supports the recent U.S. government FMS agreement for the Taiwan Air Force. 

THE BIG PICTURE

IRST21 is Lockheed Martin’s next-generation infrared search-and-track sensor capability, a long-wave infrared system that passively detects and tracks airborne targets at extended ranges. The Legion-ES configuration is designed for the F-16 to complement aircraft performance. 

WHY IT MATTERS

• Taiwan marks the first international ally to receive Lockheed Martin’s Legion-ES IRST21 configuration. 

• The Legion-ES is an embedded and fully integrated IRST system providing critical technology to detect and track airborne threats with high accuracy, increasing pilot reaction time and enhancing survivability for the U.S. and its allies. 

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE 

“This award marks an important milestone as Taiwan becomes the first international partner to receive the Legion-ES IRST21 configuration,” said Cristin Stengel, program director, Lockheed Martin IRST21. “This system will bring advanced passive sensing capability to strengthen situational awareness, accelerate decision-making and support our allied air forces.” 

ADDITIONAL CONTEXT 

The low-profile Legion-ES builds on Lockheed Martin’s legacy IRST systems, which have more than 300,000 flight hours combined. 

About Lockheed Martin 

Lockheed Martin is a global defense technology company driving innovation and advancing scientific discovery. Our all-domain mission solutions and 21st Century Security^® vision accelerate the delivery of transformative technologies to ensure those we serve always stay ahead of ready. More information at Lockheedmartin.com.