Moves On To Lockheed Martin's Forth Worth Plant For Next Stage
Of Assembly
The first center fuselage section of an F-35 fighter for the
Royal Netherlands Air Force has been delivered to Lockheed Martin
by Northrop Grumman. The center fuselage – the core structure
around which the F-35 aircraft is built – was finished in
Palmdale, CA, and now will travel to Ft. Worth, TX, where it will
be integrated into an F-35A, a conventional takeoff and landing
(CTOL) variant of the aircraft, for the Royal Netherlands Air
Force.
As a principal and founding member of the F-35 industry team led
by Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman is responsible for the design
and production of center fuselages for all three variants of F-35
aircraft: CTOL, short takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) and a
carrier variant. This is the second such structure Northrop Grumman
has constructed for an international customer. In December, the
company delivered a STOVL variant for the United Kingdom.
"The completion of our second center fuselage for another
international customer is evidence that the F-35 program is growing
and maturing," said Duke Dufresne, sector vice president and
general manager of the Strike and Surveillance Systems Division of
Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems sector. "It's an important
milestone and a sign of continued progress on the program."
In addition to producing the F-35 center fuselage, Northrop
Grumman also designed and produces the aircraft's radar and other
key avionics including electro-optical and communications
subsystems; develops mission systems and mission-planning software;
leads the team's development of pilot and maintenance training
system courseware; and manages the team's use, support and
maintenance of low-observable technologies.
To date, Northrop Grumman has delivered 48 center fuselages.
Final assembly of all F-35 jets is performed by Lockheed Martin, a
process that includes mating the center fuselage to an aft fuselage
produced by BAE systems; and the forward fuselage, cockpit and
wings produced by Lockheed Martin.
"When the aircraft is complete, the Royal Netherlands Air Force
will have the most capable, most advanced multirole fighter in the
world, and the product of our ongoing efforts to achieve maximum
efficiency and affordability," said Mark Tucker, vice president and
F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Aerospace Systems
sector. "With this delivery, Northrop Grumman continues to meet its
cost and schedule commitments on the F-35 program."
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