By ANN Correspondent Peter W. Merlin
Northrop Grumman Corporation unveiled the first production F-35A
center fuselage section, recently, in a ceremony at Air Force Plant
42. It is the first major component completed for the new F-35
Joint Strike Fighter. The center fuselage was delivered on schedule
to prime contractor Lockheed Martin during a ceremony that allowed
family members and VIP guests to get a close-up look at what
workers have been building at Northrop Grumman's Site 4 facility
for the last 12 months. Center fuselage assembly A-1 will be
shipped to Lockheed Martin's plant in Forth Worth, Texas, on May 2
for the beginning of the airplane's final assembly.
Tommy Tomlinson, Northrop Grumman's Palmdale site
manager welcomed several hundred guests and representatives of
domestic and international participants in the JSF manufacturing
process."With the completion of the center fuselage," said Scott
Seymour, corporate vice president and Integrated Systems sector
president,"the F-35 team has ushered in a new era for aircraft
production that incorporates advanced technologies and cutting edge
manufacturing techniques into what will be a unique continuous
moving line process." Air Vehicle A-1 is being produced for the Air
Force. Fabrication of the first F-35B, article B-1, will begin on
April 28. The F-35B is the short takeoff and vertical landing
(STOVL) version for use by the Marine Corps as a replacement for
its AV-8B Harrier. A third variant, the F-35C, will be produced for
the Navy. The F-35 is a stealthy, supersonic multirole fighter
designed to replace a wide range of aging fighter and strike
aircraft. The three variants are derived from a common design with
specific characteristics tailored to each customer service of the
US armed forces and allied foreign defense forces worldwide.
"Innovative design and outstanding craftsmanship, brought together
by the thousands of aerospace experts from Northrop Grumman and its
suppliers from around the world, were instrumental in the
development of this shipset," said Janis Pamiljans, Northrop
Grumman's F-35 program manager. Lockheed Martin F-35 program
manager Bob Elrod praised the Northrop Grumman team. "This is the
highest quality, best workmanship, and prettiest center fuselage
section I've seen," he said. According to Elrod, the wing assembly
will be mated to the center fuselage on May 16 and the aft
fuselage, produced by BAE in the United kingdom, will be attached
soon after. Rollout of the completed airplane is expected in
December with first flight scheduled for August 2006.
Lockheed Martin's chief JSF test pilot Jon Beesley pointed to a
banner hanging inside the production building that reads: "Build it
as if you were going to fly it." Beesley, who will make the first
flight next year said he hoped the workers had built the airplane
with that philosophy in mind. He also noted another important
aspect of the JSF.
"The F-35 is going to be the first airplane designed, built,and
flown in the 21st Century," said Beesley. "This is the future of
aviation."