Aircraft
International partners drive Joint Strike Fighter recovery
Lockheed Martin vice president Tom Burbage delivered a business-as-usual update on the Joint Strike Fighter program.

Buoyed by last week’s endorsement of the F-35 from Canada, Lockheed Martin vice president Tom Burbage, delivered a business-as-usual update on the Joint Strike Fighter program here in Farnborough this week. There was some talk of the alleged mounting costs, but much more about the flight-test program and international partnerships.

Burbage revealed that construction had begun in Italy of the final assembly and check out (FACO) facility, after the recent confirmation. Lockheed Martin is in partnership with Alenia and others on the FACO. Burbage said the Italians would not operate a moving line, unlike the main F-35 production set-up at Fort Worth, where $1 billion has been invested in tooling. The line will move at 51 inches per hour once the full production rate has been achieved.