Northrop Grumman on Dec. 19 delivered the center fuselage for the first Marine Corps variant of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter and began work on the center fuselage for the Navy’s carrier version. A company release noted that it planned to ship the Marine Corps short takeoff and landing version to Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Tex., facility on Jan. 8 to begin final assembly.
U.S. Air Force F-15C Eagles have roared out of Barnes Air National Guard Base, Mass., for the last time. The 104th Fighter Wing’s last three F-15Cs departed the base Oct. 23 for the “Boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., ending the aircraft's era on the frontlines of homeland defense.
