Harking back to World War II’s mass-produced fleets of fighters, bombers, and cargo aircraft, the Los Angeles Times reports that the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be the first assembly line produced military aircraft in a generation. Northrop Grumman will have one line in Palmdale, Calif., to assemble the fuselages, which then will go to prime contractor Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Tex., where another line will mate the fuselages to other parts. Northrop anticipates turning out one center fuselage per day. The companies plan to establish the assembly lines over the next few years.
In his final keynote address before retiring as Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force, Roger A. Towberman reflected on the progress of the Space Force and the growth still ahead at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference on Sept. 12, 2023. Watch the video or read the transcript.