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."

FMI: www.northropgrumman.com