Latest F-35 Lightning II Stories

FORT WORTH, Texas, May 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Air Force has accepted into its fleet the first of a planned 1,763 production-model Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters. The signing of formal acceptance documents for the jet, known as AF-7, took place at Lockheed Martin's F-35 final assembly plant in Fort Worth, Texas, Thursday, May 5. The jet flew to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on Friday to begin its flight testing program. "This first aircraft is the...

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., May 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney has delivered the first F135 engine for low rate initial production (LRIP) 3 to the U.S. Government for the F-35 Lightning II program. F135 engines in LRIP 3 meet established affordability targets and include engine modifications and improvements based on findings from the F-35 flight test program. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company. "Delivery of our 21st production engine is a...

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney announced yesterday that its JSF119 propulsion system has been installed by the Smithsonian Institution at the National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. The JSF119 propulsion system was the power behind Lockheed Martin's X-35B, the precursor to the F-35B, that flew in 2001. Pratt & Whitney is a United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company. Visitors to the museum, located...

MINNEAPOLIS, May 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (NYSE: ATK) announced today that it has received a $110 million contract from Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to produce composite components for low rate initial production (LRIP) Lots 5 through 9 of the F-35 Lightning II - Joint Strike Fighter. The contract includes production of multiple components through the LRIP 9 phase of the program. Under the terms of the contract, ATK will use advanced hand lay-up processing techniques to manufacture upper...

ORLANDO, Fla., April 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) marked the delivery of the first F-35 Lightning II Full Mission Simulator (FMS) system to Eglin Air Force Base's 33rd Fighter Wing. Preparation and assembly is underway at the base's F-35 Integrated Training Center (ITC) for training to commence this fall. The Joint Strike Fighter FMS includes a high-fidelity 360-degree visual display system and a reconfigurable cockpit that simulates all three aircraft variants for...

FORT WORTH, Texas, April 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II test jets made considerable flight test progress during the first quarter of 2011, conducting 199 test flights versus a plan of 142 flights. Additionally, the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing (STOVL) variant logged six times more vertical landings in the first quarter than in all of 2010. The test program remained ahead of plan despite the grounding of various test fleet aircraft for 4-15...

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney's F119 engine powering the U.S. Air Force's F-22 Raptor, successfully reached its first hot section full-life capability of 4,325 total accumulated cycles (TACs), during a recent mission at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. This achievement was made possible through an accelerated engine maturity program, using engines that "lead the fleet" to demonstrate full-life capability of F119 production engines. Pratt &...

Visit Highlights Benefits of F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program to Canada's Workforce Waterloo, Ontario, Canada (Vocus/PRWEB) March 14, 2011 Virtek Vision International, a business unit of Gerber Technology, hosted Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last Friday. Harper is visiting Canadian companies involved in the U.S. government's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to highlight the benefits of the program to Canada's workforce. During the visit, Harper witnessed first-hand how...

EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Feb. 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney's F135 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) production engine powered the successful first flight of a production F-35 aircraft on Friday, Feb. 25. This milestone marks the introduction of Pratt & Whitney's F135 production engines into service. Pratt & Whitney is a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX) company. "The first flight of a production F135 engine and F-35 Lightning II aircraft is another...

AVALON, Australia, Feb. 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) will provide media briefings on a broad range of products on offer to the Australian Defence Force and regional partners during the 2011 Australian International Air Show and Aerospace & Defence Exposition, being held in Geelong, Victoria, over March 1-4th. The corporation's most comprehensive exhibit in the history of the Avalon air show will also highlight the long and close relationship Lockheed Martin...