Fort WorthÂ’s Lockheed Martin unveils F-35B Lightning II

Expect a new flurry of activity to the west of Fort Worth in the next few years as Lockheed Martin and the Department of Defense embark on new stages of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

On Dec. 18, Lockheed Martin officials and officers from the United States, Italian and British militaries unveiled the new F-35B Lightning II, a short take-off/vertical landing supersonic stealth fighter.

 Dan Crowley, executive vice president and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Joint Strike Fighter Program, said that as the three variations of the F-35 are produced in larger numbers over the next five to 10 years, new staff and resources will be added to the companyÂ’s Fort Worth plant.

“I think the F-35 will be a magnet,” Crowley said.

By 2012, this location is hoping to produce more than 100 aircraft per year, Crowley said, and the ultimate goal is to produce one aircraft per day in Fort Worth once production reaches its maximum speed.

The aircraft, which will replace the Harriers for the U.S. Marine Corps, was called a “joint-combined aircraft” by Gen. James Conway, commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. Other countries, including the United Kingdom and Italy, will purchase this aircraft, and Conway said having allies in the same aircraft will enhance the military’s cooperation and operations with other militaries.

“We’re here to celebrate this rollout today as a nation at war,” Conway said.

Both Lockheed Martin and military officials said that further testing and production of the aircraft is expected to run on schedule. The two other variations of the F-35 will be used by other branches of the military; the F-35A will be used as a replacement for the F-16 by the U.S. Air Force, and the F-35C can be used as a Navy aircraft on aircraft carriers.

See a complete story in the Dec. 24 issue of the Fort Worth Business Press

Contact Bassett at ebassett@bizpress.net