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DALLAS, AUG. 26, 2002 - Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. announced today that it has been selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. to manufacture the lower wing skins for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The initial $7 million contract is for the system development and demonstration phase of the program, covering production of 22 shipsets through July 2006. Vought's facility in Milledgeville, Ga., will manufacture the F-35 wing skins.
In addition, Vought was awarded a technical support contract to assist Lockheed Martin in the development of the integrated full-scale airframe test program for the JSF program. The structural test planning effort will draw on Vought's extensive history in support of carrier suitability testing and continued support of Navy aircraft testing in Vought's Dallas facility.
"It is an honor for Vought to be part of a program that will be the hallmark for tactical military aircraft for the next several decades," said Erich Smith, Vought's vice president of military and other commercial programs. "Being on this important program is a great opportunity for our company and our employees."
The F-35 JSF is a stealthy, supersonic, multi-role fighter designed for the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, as well as the U.K. Royal Air Force and Royal Navy. It is intended to replace the A-10, the AV-8 Harrier, F-16 and F/A-18. The first F-35 will be delivered to the U.S. military in 2008.
In other military programs, Vought is a major subcontractor on the C-17 Globemaster III transport and the Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle. The company also produces components for the F-22, F-14, F/A-18E/F, E-8C, S-3, E-2C, T-38, P-3C, V-22 and EA-6B.
Vought Aircraft Industries, Inc. (www.voughtaircraft.com) is the world's largest independent supplier of aerostructures. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the company provides wings, fuselage subassemblies, empennages, nacelles, thrust reversers and other components for prime manufacturers of aircraft. Vought has more than 5,000 employees and annual sales exceeding $1 billion. It has operations in Dallas; Hawthorne, Calif.; Stuart, Fla.; Milledgeville, Ga.; and Perry, Ga.
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