United
Kingdom Accepts First International Lockheed Martin F-35B
The
United Kingdom accepted the first international Lockheed Martin F-35
Lightning II aircraft in a ceremony today with senior representatives
of the U.K. Ministry of Defence and the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Right Honourable Philip Hammond, U.K. Secretary of State for Defence,
and Mr. Frank Kendall, U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition,
Technology and Logistics, represented their governments.
“We are here to celebrate an important ‘first’
among so many milestones associated with the F-35 program,” said
Bob Stevens, Lockheed Martin chairman and chief executive officer. “It’s
fitting that our first delivery to an international partner is to the
United Kingdom, because without sustained British innovation over many
generations, we would not have an event to celebrate today.”
First UK
F-35 Delivery Ceremony.
(Picture: Lockheed Martin)
The U.K.
was the first of eight international partners to join the F-35 program
and plans to acquire the F-35B short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL)
aircraft.
Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial
partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Headquartered in the U.K.,
BAE Systems brings a rich heritage of capabilities to the F-35 program,
including short takeoff and vertical landing experience, advanced lean
manufacturing, flight testing and air systems sustainment, and is responsible
for the F-35’s aft fuselage, fuel system, crew escape and life
support systems. The U.K. will play a vital role in the F-35’s
global production, follow-on development and sustainment over the next
40 years, bringing strong economic benefits to the country.
The
F-35B combines STOVL capability with 5th Generation technology for the
first time, a critical combination for the United Kingdom.
The F-35
Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth
with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled
operations and advanced sustainment. Three distinct variants of the
F-35 will replace the A-10 and F-16 for the U.S. Air Force, the F/A-18
for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV8-B Harrier for the U.S. Marine
Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least 10 other countries.
