Lockheed Martin officials said Friday at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando that the first two production F-35A strike fighters slated for delivery to the training wing at Eglin AFB, Fla., later this year, are in final assembly at the company’s Fort Worth, Tex., facility. Per a company release, Steve O’Bryan, Lockheed’s VP of F-35 Business Development and Customer Engagement, said, “The F-35 provides best value in a package that not only deters hostilities but enhances interoperability.” According to a Government Executive report, Pentagon acquisition chief Ash Carter last week was upbeat about Lockheed’s assistance with the F-35 restructuring plan.
Army Gen. Christopher G. Cavoli, head of U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, warned that Russia would remain an enduring threat to NATO and global security, regardless of the outcome of the war in Ukraine.