Lockheed prepares for F-35 program to take off

FORT WORTH- An F-35 taxis out of a hangar at the Lockheed Martin Aeronautics plant and proceeds to the edge of a runway, the view of the Fort Worth skyline shimmering in the August heat.

A smaller sleek F-16, acting as a chase plane, pulls up behind the F-35 and slowly follows the futuristic stealth fighter as it prepares to take off on another test flight.

Soon the two Lockheed Martin jets — representing the Fort Worth plant’s past and future — take off in a loud roar, quickly becoming small specks in the sky.

Over the next few years, the skies around Fort Worth will be filled with even more F-35s on shakedown flights as the Lockheed Martin plant moves toward full production of what, at $391.1 billion, is called the most expensive U.S. weapons system ever made.

The plant has been building 30 to 40 airplanes a year, but that number is expected to triple by 2017 and hit almost 200 by the end of the decade, military and company officials said.

To get ready, the Fort Worth plant is in the midst of a $1.2 billion upgrade — its biggest since the F-16 was developed in the 1970s — to support the aggressive production schedule.

Inside the mile-long facility, sections of the production line are draped in heavy plastic as new assembly areas are being installed. Outside, workers dangle from portable lifts as they refurbish nine hangars with plans to possibly build two more.

“We have lots of construction [underway],” said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed’s general manager for the F-35 program. “We’re building more structures on the flight line, more run stations, more engine run locations, the ability to have more aircraft in our paint shop.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/news/business/aviation/article37384614.html#storylink=cpy

"i wonder if potential ally customers also have the option of purchasing f-22s..."

No, that is one of the big jokes about the "F-22 sucks" narrative from 0bama.

The F-22 is so highly classified that sales were blocked to both Japan and Australia. Both were extremely interested.

Now the assembly line is shut. We should have bought at least double the actual buy of 187 aircraft. Here's some relevant info:

According to Air Force officials, a minimum of 381 F-22A aircraft are needed to satisfy today's national security requirements, yet OSD stated it can only afford to buy 187 F-22A aircraft. This results in a 194-aircraft gap in capability. Additionally, the Air Force stated a "need" for greater ground attack and intelligence-gathering capabilities, not included in the existing business case that will require an extensive modernization program.
The Air Force states a need for one squadron of 24 F-22A aircraft for each of the 10 Air Expeditionary Forces, the planned organization of the Air Force aircraft and personnel for operations and deployments. This requirement was established to carry out missions including support in major regional conflicts, home land security, and others. According to the Air Force, this requires a total of 381 F-22As, 240 primary aircraft and 141 aircraft for training, attrition, and to allow for periodic aircraft depot maintenance. The Air Force stated that if all 381 aircraft are acquired, the Air Force could retire about 566 legacy aircraft; if not, several billions of modification dollars will be required to extend their structural life to keep them operational.

Read the whole thing at:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/f-22-production.htm

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