Lockheed Martin launched assembly of the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter's (JSF) forward fuselage at its Fort Worth site in Texas last week. The company expects to begin assembling the aircraft's wing at the facility within the coming weeks. First flight of the F-35A is scheduled for August 2006 as part of the JSF project's system development and demonstration phase.
Source: Flight International
The January incident at Ellsworth AFB resulted in the destruction of the $450 million bomber and a rare quadruple ejection of the crew, who were attempting to execute an instrument landing during poor weather.
Athens signed a long-sought letter of offer and acceptance with airframer Lockheed Martin covering 20 F-35 stealth fighters, with options for a further 20 jets.
The joint North American Aerospace Defense Command dispatched fighter aircraft from both the USA and Canada on 24 July to intercept a combined flight of bombers from Russia and China operating in international airspace around Alaska.
