While much has been written about the funding jitters of the coalition partner countries involved in the Joint Strike Fighter, BAE officials tell us that the first Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing F-35 components are being produced at the company’s Samlesbury, U.K. facility. Components of the aft fuselage and empennage are being designed and built across the pond and will be shipped to Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas facility for assembly over the next 12 months, according to JSF Deputy Systems Manager for BAE Tom Fillingham. The STOVL variant of the aircraft will replace the Harriers currently used by the Royal Air Force and Navy, as well as the U.S. Marine Corps.
Anduril and General Atomics will develop their Collaborative Combat Aircraft for the Air Force, beating out Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, the service announced on April 24. But any of the non-selected companies can compete to actually manufacture the eventual design, the Air Force said.