FARNBOROUGH, England, July 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- With a new
name, its first flight on the near horizon, six aircraft in various stages
of subassembly and plans being laid for operation and support, the Lockheed
Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II, the only 5th generation fighter
available on the international market, is moving quickly into production
with an eye toward long-term sustainment.
Joining many of his F-35 team members in the Media Hall at the
Farnborough International Air Show, F-35 Program Executive Officer Rear
Adm. Steven Enewold and Deputy Program Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Charles
Davis remarked on the program's progress.
"After 56 months of development, we are encouraged by the tangible
progress in the flight qualification of our designs," said Enewold. "Most
notable is the first flyable test aircraft, but we are also demonstrating
performance on the major avionics systems in laboratories and flying test
beds. There are still many challenges, but I am encouraged by the team's
achievements."
According to Davis, soon-to-be Enewold's successor as leader of the
program, "I've worked in flight test and acquisition for 16 plus years and
have never seen a program this advanced in its development at this stage
... B-2, F-22, etc. None were this far at this point in time. Sure we've
got challenges -- and we'll have challenges we've not thought of yet -- but
we're seeing them much earlier and fixing them faster than any legacy
program I've known," said Davis.
Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and F-35 program
general manager, agreed and said the aircraft possesses significant
technical maturity compared to past fighter programs at this stage of their
development. "We believe the F-35 is ready for low rate-production because
the program systems are maturing well beyond those of legacy programs. The
program's devotion to affordability, risk-reduction and its ability to
exploit new advances in digital design tools and manufacturing technology
are combining to promote design stability, more reliable cost forecasts and
adherence to schedules," said Crowley.
Tom Burbage, Lockheed Martin executive vice president and general
manager of F-35 Program Integration, added that the U.S. and F-35 partner
nations are already planning for the F-35's long-range sustainment, one of
the program's biggest components. "This is an affordability-based program,
both in terms of aircraft price and the cost of maintaining it," Burbage
said.
"We are sharply focused on sustainment as a means to an end -- and that
end in this case is an F-35 that is affordable to operate and support. All
of our partner countries will be deeply involved in that endeavor down to
the local level," he added.
In a ceremony on July 7 at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Texas, the
F-35 made its public debut and received its name -- Lightning II -- which
echoes two great fighter aircraft of the past: the World War II-era
Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the supersonic, Mach 2, Lightning fighter
developed by English Electric in the middle 1950s.
The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation, supersonic stealth fighter
designed to replace a wide range of existing aircraft, including AV-8B
Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and
Sea Harriers. The F-35 will be the most powerful single-engine fighter ever
made.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial
partners, Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC) and BAE Systems. Two separate,
interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney
F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
The inaugural flight of the first F-35, a preproduction conventional
takeoff and landing variant, is planned for later this year. Fifteen F-35s
will undergo flight test, seven will be used for static testing and another
will validate the aircraft's radar signature.
Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000
people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design,
development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced
technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005
sales of $37.2 billion.
For additional information, visit our Web site:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com
An F-35 electronic media kit is available at:
http://www.lockheedmartin.com/wms/findPage.do?dsp=fec&ci=15965&rsbci=13151&fti
=0&ti=0&sc=400
SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
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CONTACT:
Lockheed Martin Chalet, Mary Jo Polidore,
+1-817-308-5553, or mary.jo.polidore@lmco.com , or David Jewell,
+1-817-366-2558, or david.m.jewell@lmco.com , or Fort Worth, John
A. Smith, +1-817-763-4084, or john.a1.smith@lmco.com , or John R.
Kent, +1-817-763-3980, or john.r.kent@lmco.com , all of Lockheed
Martin Aeronautics Company
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