Lockheed Martin and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) celebrated the beginnings of the 1st F-35 Lightning II for Australia yesterday. The aircraft, designated as AU-1, officially began the mate process, where major components of the aircraft are joined together to form the aircraft’s structure. AU-1 will then make its way down the assembly line and roll out of the factory for delivery to the RAAF in the summertime of 2014.
Jeff Babione, Lockheed Martin Vp and Deputy Program Manager for F-35, highlighted the continuing partnership between Lockheed Martin and Australia. “Today marks a brand new beginning for tactical aviation for Australia,” said Babione. “Lockheed Martin is happy with our long and storied relationship with Australian aviation, and now, the F-35 will be sure that the connection with the RAAF and Australian Industry remains strong for many years to return.”
The global supply chain for the F-35 currently has 14 Australian companies under contract and building parts for the F-35. Australian industry is anticipated to achieve as much as $6.3 billion USD in industry opportunities over the lifetime of the F-35 program. Every F-35 built may have some Australian parts and components.
The occasion also marked a longstanding history between Lockheed Martin and Australia’s Defence Forces, beginning with the Lockheed Vega, F-111 and continuing with the F-35. Australia’s first two F-35s, now in production, may be dropped at the RAAF next year.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, advanced mission systems, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and cutting-edge sustainment. Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18 for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier for the U.S. Marine Corps, and plenty of fighters for a minimum of 10 other countries.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a worldwide security and aerospace company that employs about 116,000 people worldwide and is especially engaged inside the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products, and services. The Corporation’s net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.
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