This video, posted yesterday on YouTube, shows the all the good and bad points about the F-35 factory in Fort Worth, Texas. You see the electronic mate and alignment system (EMALS), the sophisticated tool where the wings and fuselage are joined together. But you also see the distant wing assembly area, which is currently located far from the desired production flow. You also see the static final assembly line. In 2011, this part of the line is supposed to start moving. And you also see workers working in horizontal positions, which is only necessary to complete out-of-sequence, or "travelled", work. By 2016, Lockheed plans to be delivering F-35s the way Boeing currently delivers 737s and Airbus builds A320s -- at peak rates of one per day.
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