Secretary Of Defense's First Visit To Texas Final Assembly
Plant
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates visited Lockheed
Martin's final assembly operation for the F-35 Lightning II stealth
fighter Monday, conveying optimism for the program's future and
emphasizing the F-35's importance to global security.
"We cannot afford as a nation not to have this airplane," Gates
said at a news conference following a tour of the factory where the
F-35 is assembled. "I was very impressed by what I saw this morning
- by the investments that have been made in the production line,
the robotics and automation. I'm heartened by what I've seen . . .
but especially by the commitment of the people involved in putting
this airplane together."
Gates walked along portions of the mile-long factory floor,
where he stopped to converse with F-35 workers, and saw all three
variants of the aircraft in various stages of assembly.
Robert J. Stevens, chairman, president and CEO of Lockheed
Martin Corp., said it was a "great honor" to host Secretary
Gates.
"The purpose of the Secretary's visit was to make very clear to
us his expectations and our need to perform to our plans. That
means producing a superior technological product and making sure
that we maintain our schedule, enable the government to start
training pilots in 2011, and fully equipping the Marine Corps for
initial operational capability in 2012. It also means we'll support
our allied governments' interests in the program while maintaining
affordability," Stevens said. "So, there's a full array of things
that we have to do, but we have great confidence in the team that
we've put together here."
The visit was Gates' first to Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth
plant, which also has served as the final assembly point for the
B-24 Liberator, B-36 Peacemaker, B-58 Hustler, F-111 Aardvark and
F-16 Fighting Falcon.
F35 File Photo
The Lockheed Martin F-35 is a 5th generation fighter, uniquely
characterized by a combination of advanced stealth with supersonic
speed and high agility, sensor fusion, network-enabled capabilities
and advanced sustainment. The three F-35 variants are derived from
a common design, are being developed together and will use the same
sustainment infrastructure worldwide, bringing economies of
commonality and scale.
The United States and eight international partners are planning
to buy more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft.