In a company announcement last week, aerospace and defense company Lockheed Martin outlined its progress during the coronavirus pandemic, which includes over a billion dollars to defense suppliers.

“To date we have received more than $1.1 billion in accelerated progress payments from the Pentagon and have flowed all of it to suppliers to ensure we continue to maintain operations, support jobs, and deliver solutions that keep our nation safe,” said Jim Taiclet, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin in a press release.

The company reports it has also provided charitable donations totaling over $18 million during the pandemic.

Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment recently said that most defense firms closed during the pandemic have reopened.

“We see an enormous amount of recovery in the defense-industrial base. It depends on location and what type of work is being performed, but there is enormous progress coming back,” said Lord, reports Defense News.

“Obviously for manufacturing we need people on the line, so we’re doing things differently in terms of following [the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s] guidelines and so forth.”

Photo by Lockeed Martin