The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine, stealth-capable military strike fighter, a multirole aircraft that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air defense missions.[The F-35 has three different models; one is the conventional takeoff and landing variant, the second is short takeoff and vertical-landing variant, and the third is a carrier-based variant. The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Its development is being principally funded by the United States, with the United Kingdom, and other partner governments providing additional funding. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. Demonstrator aircraft flew in 2000, with the first flight on 15 December 2006.
Assembly of the First Production F-35 at Lockheed Martin, Forth Worth Texas
Assembly of the First Production F-35 at Lockheed Martin, Forth Worth Texas
In early March, 2009, Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) delivered its first composite parts for the F-35 from a new facility that opened in November, 2008 with two dozen key employees trained by Northrup Grumman. These composite parts are panels that form the outer surface of the fuselage and they will be integrated into the first two production F-35s. TAI is scheduled to produce 400 center fuselage sections for the first production Joint Strike Fighters. Even with restricted information, the importance of composites to the F-35 design is clear. These carbon-resin parts will be rigorously evaluated for long term strength and durability. In many ways, future military aircraft will build on the Joint Strike Fighter Program legacy and incorporate composite parts to the maximum extent possible.
Assembly of the First Production F-35 at Lockheed Martin, Forth Worth Texas
Assembly of the First Production F-35 at Lockheed Martin, Forth Worth Texas
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