Article Posted on : - Jul 29, 2010

F-35 AF-1 & AF-2 Arrival at Edwards Air Force Base. Lockheed Martin photo

MARIETTA (BNS): Lockheed Martin has formally announced the start of F-35 Lightning II center wing production operations.

The actual center wing assembly of the multi-role 5th generation fighter F-35 Lightning II will begin on July 20 in the Marietta site’s massive B-1 aircraft production building while the final assembly will take place at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth generation fighter combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment and lower operational and support costs.

Eight countries are partnering with the US to develop and produce F-35. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 also known as the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

“This is a very proud day for us in Marietta as we begin to support production of the largest military aircraft acquisition program in history,” said Lee Rhyant, executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Marietta site.

“We have state-of-the-art facilities, and our workers have the skill, the dedication and even the 5th generation fighter expertise to build this critical component. We’re ready to support the F-35 now and in the future; it’s time to get to work.”