Northrop Grumman Delivers 900th F-35 Center Fuselage

On 16th February U.S. company Northrop Grumman Corporation informed that marked the 900th center fuselage delivery on Feb. 14. Utilizing the company’s Integrated Assembly Line (IAL), F-35 center fuselages are delivered across three unique aircraft variants.

Northrop Grumman Corporation marked the 900th center fuselage delivery on Feb. 14. for the F-35 Lightning II family of multirole aircraft / Photo: Northrop Grumman Corporation

The IAL is a world-class production facility using the latest in automation and robotics to deliver on large aircraft production efforts at scale. Northrop Grumman is a principal partner to Lockheed Martin Corporation in the design, development, production and sustainment of this multirole fighter for the United States and its allies.

Northrop Grumman plays a critical role in the development, demonstration, production and sustainment of F-35 Lightning II family of multirole fighter aircraft, including:

• The production of the center fuselage, which forms a significant portion of the aircraft’s internal weapons bay and internal fuel capacity The design and production of the AN/APG-81 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) fire control radar, which brings unmatched capability to air-to-air and air-to-surface missions, complemented by significant electronic warfare and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functions;
• The design and production of the AN/AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS), which provides simultaneous modes of situational awareness, infrared search and track, missile warning and navigation not available on any other aircraft;
• The design and production of the AN/ASQ-242 Communications, Navigation and Identification (CNI) avionics suite, which can be dynamically programmed to arm the F-35 pilot with multiple-mission capabilities engineered for seamless transition from one mission phase to the next;
• The development of mission systems and mission-planning software The development and delivery of pilot and maintenance training system courseware The management of the team’s use, support and maintenance of low-observable technologies The delivery of sustainment and modernization support to F-35 users, driving improvements to the enterprise-level sustainment solution through focused analysis, engagement, and innovation to reduce cost while increasing mission availability.

With more than 750 aircraft operating from 30 bases and ships around the globe, the F-35 plays a critical role in the integrated deterrence of the U.S. and our allies. More than 1,585 pilots and 11,545 maintainers are trained, and the F-35 fleet has flown nearly 470,000 cumulative flight hours. Nine nations have F-35s operating from a base on their home soil, 12 services have declared Initial Operational Capability and six services have employed F-35s in combat.

Northrop Grumman Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation press releases