BAE completes 150th F-35 fuselage

Rear fuselage and tails for Joint Strike Fighter manufactured in Lancashire

BAE Systems has completed the manufacture of the 150th Joint Strike Fighter rear fuselage and tails.

The 150th aircraft set, known as AF070, is a conventional take-off and landing variant destined for the US Air Force. The AF070 will be married up with the rest of the aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s assembly facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jon Evans, head of production delivery, F-35, explained: “AF070 is the 150th aircraft set which has left our production facility. The first 20 sets were development phase, the rest production, aircraft. We are now producing aircraft sets at a rate of one every five days thanks to the multi-million pound investment we’ve made in Samlesbury site and we’re well on the journey to being able to produce at a rate of one a day by 2018.”

Evans added: “If we continue as we have done over the past 10 years, not only do we sustain jobs in the long term for our 1,000-plus workforce, but we help make a significant contribution to the UK economy through the work created in more than 500 British-based companies involved in the programme. With a potential requirement of 3000-plus aircraft, the scale of this programme is huge, and so is our commitment to deliver to it.”

BAE Systems is responsible for the production of each and every rear fuselage and tails set. Along with manufacturing these aircraft sets for each of the three variants, the company also produces carrier wing tips for the carrier variant, and nozzle bay doors for the short take and landing variant.

Collectively about 500 British companies are involved in the F-35 Lightning II programme, building 15% of each F-35 produced. Over the next 40 years UK industry will continue to play a vital role in the F-35’s global production, follow-on development and sustainment, bringing strong economic benefits to the country and generating tens of thousands of jobs.

Along with responsibility for the design and delivery of the aft fuselage and empennage for each of the three F-35 variants, BAE Systems also plays a key role in other areas including vehicle and mission systems, life support system and prognostics health management integration.