FUSELAGE OF F-35 ASSEMBLED AT PALMDALE PLANT.Byline: - Daily News PALMDALE - 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. said it completed the first major component of the 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. . Assembled in Palmdale, the center fuselage was delivered on time to F-35 prime contractor 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. during a ceremony April 23, the company said. The center fuselage goes to Lockheed Martin's plant in 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. , for the beginning of the aircraft's final assembly. ``The F-35 team has ushered in a new era for aircraft production that incorporates advanced technologies and cutting-edge manufacturing techniques into what will be a unique continuous moving-line process,'' said Scott Seymour, corporate vice president and president of Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems. Northrop Grumman said its assembly line in Palmdale integrates 3-D modeling techniques, state-of-the-art fabrication fabrication (fab´rikā´sh  n),n the construction or making of a restoration. and tooling equipment and a factory layout similar to that of the automotive industry. The 12-month assembly process began in May 2004. The F-35 is a 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. , supersonic multirole fighter designed to replace several aging fighter and strike aircraft. Three different versions will be produced, including ones that can land vertically or take off from ships. The United States and United Kingdom are expected to buy about 2,600 airplanes. The jets are to be used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. Northrop Grumman will produce more than 25 percent of the aircraft's components. |
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