Thu, Jun 04, 2009
17 More Stealth Fighters Slated for Production
The United States Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed
Martin a $2.1 billion contract modification to produce 17 F-35
Lightning II stealth fighters in the third lot of low-rate initial
production (LRIP). The buy also includes the first international
orders - two F-35 operational test aircraft for the United Kingdom
and one for the Netherlands.
The contract adds to a May 2008 award of $197 million to fund
LRIP 3 long-lead materials, and to a March 2009 contract
modification award of $320 million for tooling and test equipment,
also beginning in LRIP 3.
Assembly of 14 aircraft in the first two LRIP lots is already
under way, with initial F-35 deliveries to the U.S. Air Force
scheduled to begin in 2010. Eight development aircraft have entered
testing, and the remaining 11 are planned to roll out by year's
end.
"As we move more deeply into F-35 production, we are seeing the
steady increases in quality and efficiency that track to our target
production rate of one aircraft per working day in the 2015 time
frame," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president
and F-35 program general manager.
The F-35 is a supersonic, multi-role, 5th generation stealth
fighter. Three F-35 variants derived from a common design,
developed together and using the same sustainment infrastructure
worldwide, will replace at least 13 types of aircraft for nine
nations initially, reportedly making the Lightning II 'the most
cost-effective fighter program in history.'
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