FIGHTER PLANE NEARS TEST PHASE.Byline: Daily News Lockheed Martin For the former company, see . Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) is a leading multinational aerospace manufacturer and advanced technology company formed in 1995 by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta. said it has completed the assembly of the major structural components of the first F-35 joint strike fighter A strike fighter is a fighter aircraft which is also capable of attacking surface targets, including ships. It differs from an attack aircraft in that the aircraft remains a capable fighter. at its Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas, 18th-largest city in the United States[1], and voted one of "America’s Most Livable Communities. , plant. The next milestone is engine installation, planned for early 2006. The stealthy stealth·y adj. stealth·i·er, stealth·i·est Marked by or acting with quiet, caution, and secrecy intended to avoid notice. See Synonyms at secret. F-35 is a supersonic, multirole fighter designed to replace aging AV-8B Harriers, A-10s, F-16s, F/A-18 Hornets and United Kingdom Harrier GR.7s and Sea Harriers. The first flight is planned for fall 2006. The horizontal tails installed Dec. 8 and the vertical tails installed Nov. 28 were designed and manufactured by BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. in Samlesbury, England. Assemblers installed the aircraft's weapons-bay doors Dec. 7. Final assembly began in May, when workers mated the center fuselage assembled by Northrop Grumman Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) is an aerospace and defense conglomerate that is the result of the 1994 purchase of Grumman by Northrop. The company is the third largest defense contractor for the U.S. in Palmdale to the Lockheed Martin-built wing at the F-35's final assembly operation in Fort Worth. The BAE Systems-produced aft fuselage and the Lockheed Martin forward fuselage were also joined to the overall aircraft assembly earlier in the year. Pratt & Whitney should deliver the aircraft's F135 engine before the end of December. The power plant, which produces 40,000 pounds of thrust, will make the F-35 the most powerful single-engine fighter, Lockheed Martin said. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable F-35 engines are under development: the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan and the F136 turbofan from the General Electric Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team. Parts for the plane are manufactured by Lockheed Martin in Palmdale. Northrop Grumman assembles the center fuselage at its own Palmdale plant. Testing is expected to take place at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. . CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) With major-component assembly completed, the first flight of the supersonic F-35 joint strike fighter -shown here at Lockheed Martin's factory in Fort Worth, Texas - is slated for the fall. Lockheed Martin |
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