At a production facility that once delivered 2,743 B-24 Liberator bombers for the air war during WWII, Momentum Media was given an inside view of the manufacturing plant delivering the next generation of stealth fighters for the Royal Australian Air Force, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will deliver revolutionary capability to the RAAF and allied air forces the world over
On a factory floor in Fort Worth, Texas, Australia’s latest fighter aircraft are rolling off the manufacturing plant.
Over a mile in length, United States Air Force Plant 4 is a government-owned facility currently operated by the large US prime contractor Lockheed Martin, a key partner across Momentum’s defence and space platforms.
Employing over 17,000 people, the site is a pillar of the American defence industrial engine, and Momentum Media’s director – defence and space Phillip Tarrant was invited by Lockheed Martin to spend a day experiencing first-hand the manufacturing of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
On the day of Momentum’s visit, three fighters from a batch that Australia has ordered were on the factory floor in various levels of construction.
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is the catalyst for the fifth-generation revolution of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), and will be a step change in capability for the Australian Defence Force.
“Prior to the visit I felt I had a fairly good grasp of the F-35 program, and the opportunities for Australia and Australian industry, however I was completely blown away by the breath and expansiveness of the manufacturing operation" said Tarrant.
“At the Fort Worth facility, components come from across the world for final assembly, integrated wiring, painting and test flying. It was a hive of activity, with two seamless production lines side-by-side along the mile-long factory.
“The team on the factory floor we met were true professionals and craftspeople, driven by a passion for engineering perfection, but with an eye on their purpose in manufacturing these highly technical and capable machines.”
Over the coming years, Australia will purchase 72 of the advanced fifth-generation fighter aircraft as part of the $17 billion AIR 6000 Phase 2A/B program – which is aimed at replacing the ageing F/A-18A/B Classic Hornets that have been in service with the RAAF since 1985.
For the RAAF, the F-35A – the variant of the fighter Australia has purchased – delivers a combination of full-spectrum low-observable stealth coatings and materials, advanced radar-dispersing shaping, network-centric sensor and communications suites.
This is combined with a lethal strike capability – meaning the aircraft will be the ultimate force multiplying, air-combat platform and help steer the RAAF into a fight-generation fighting force.
“Our hosts were proud to point out the Australian machines currently on the production line. Separate components and parts for the manufacture of each aircraft are designated very early on in the manufacturing process, so each one can be monitored through the production cycle.
“It was also great to see componentry and tooling produced by Australian industry on the floor at Fort Worth – an important part of the Joint Strike Fighter program, which Australia is a partner nation of,” Tarrant said.
Australian industry is manufacturing parts fitted to every F-35 in production globally.
Our domestic industry involvement in production and sustainment is expected to exceed $2 billion by the end of 2023.
A core premise of the F-35 from the earliest concepts was to create a multi-role fighter aircraft, capable of meeting the various operational requirements of both the US Air Force, US Navy and Marine Corps and allied forces around the world – including the RAAF.
Norway, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, The Netherlands and Italy are also partner nations that will receive the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite its teething problems, is earmarked as one of the most transformational air combat capabilities in human history and will deliver revolutionary capability to the RAAF and allied air forces the world over, and keeping it at the forefront of capability is a constant job.
The F-35 represents a leap ahead in aviation innovation. It’s an aircraft that delivers unique characteristics never seen before – fifth-generation fighter jet capabilities in a lethal, connected, stealthy package.
“We look forward to tracking the development of Australia’s F-35 program via Momentum’s media and market intelligence platform for the defence sector Defence Connect, with the first jet expected to land in Australia later this year,” Tarrant said.