Trade visitors are seen walking over a road crossing covered with Lockheed Martin branding at Farnborough International Airshow in Farnborough, Britain, July 17, 2018. REUTERS/Toby Melville

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp LMT.N has been awarded a $712 million U.S. defense contract for the development of advanced hardware in support of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, the Pentagon said on Thursday.