The Antelope Valley Times

Your community. Your issues. Your news.

  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Local
    • Palmdale
    • Lancaster
    • Los Angeles County
    • Littlerock
    • Lake Los Angeles
    • Rosamond
    • Edwards AFB
    • Acton
  • Crime
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Advertise
    • About
    • Contact Us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Show Search

Northrop Grumman delivers center fuselage for first Israeli F-35 aircraft

by The AV Times Staff • November 19, 2015

PALMDALE – Northrop Grumman Corporation has delivered, on schedule, the center fuselage for the first F-35 Joint Strike Fighter to be purchased by Israel, an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing variant designated AS-1, company executives announced Wednesday.

A core structure of the F-35 aircraft, the center fuselage was produced on Northrop Grumman’s F-35 Integrated Assembly Line at its Palmdale Aircraft Integration Center of Excellence.

“The delivery of the AS-1 center fuselage is a significant addition to the growing list of allied countries that have invested in owning and fielding the fifth generation F-35 aircraft,” said Brian Chappel, vice president and F-35 program manager, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “It also adds momentum to the success of our highly automated Integrated Assembly Line, which is helping increase the production rate, quality and affordability of the F-35 program.”

To date, Northrop Grumman has completed center fuselages for F-35 customers in eight countries, including the U.S.

As a principal member of the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 industry team, Northrop Grumman designed and produces the center fuselage for all three F-35 variants: the F-35A; the F-35B short takeoff vertical landing variant; and the F-35C carrier variant.

The company produced the AS-1 center fuselage as part of the eighth low rate initial production lot of F-35s. AS-1 is the 39th center delivered by Northrop Grumman from Palmdale this year.

Israel has ordered 33 F-35As under the U.S. government’s foreign military sales program. These jets are similar to the F-35As produced for F-35 international partner countries, except they will require minor software and hardware modifications to accommodate several Israel-provided avionics components.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics will perform final assembly and checkout of the F-35s in Fort Worth, Texas. The first Israeli F-35 is slated for delivery in 2016.

[Information via news release from Northrop Grumman.]

–

Filed Under: Business, Palmdale

7 comments for "Northrop Grumman delivers center fuselage for first Israeli F-35 aircraft"

  1. Tom says

    November 19, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    I see where Boeing and Lockheed has protest the 60 Billion$ contact Putting everything on hold for a maximum 100 days for review. From my understanding there is a small chance Nothrop Grumman could lose the contract. Anyone out there with more information on this please let me or us know.

    • Tim Scott says

      November 19, 2015 at 5:20 pm

      Every contract ever awarded is protested by the competition. Some get lost, most don’t. If there is anyone in a position to have more information, and they shared it, they would be promptly detained for espionage. Cross your fingers, pray if that’s your inclination, be confident that barring some strong political intervention the bidding process is unlikely to get overturned…but until there is some official announcement it would be wise to ignore anyone who claims to know anything.

    • rf says

      November 19, 2015 at 5:23 pm

      Boeing just did that to depress the price of NG shares so they can buy out the part of NG that will build the B3… Just like they did with McDonnell Douglas when Boeing wanted the C17 contract etc.

      • Tom says

        November 19, 2015 at 6:28 pm

        Good insight rf, what you are saying makes perfect sense…… That Time Scott took this all the way to Niagara falls.

        • Tim Scott says

          November 19, 2015 at 9:01 pm

          Great insight…except for the fact Northrop share prices have not responded at all. Probably because, as I said, every contract awarded gets challenged, but very few actually get reversed. To effectively depress share prices there would have to be a more serious expectation that the challenge would succeed.

          But good on you Tom, you just go on basing your decisions on “anyone who disagrees with Tim Scott must be right.” LOL.

    • RLGRL says

      November 21, 2015 at 1:07 pm

      I was told they put a clause into this bidding process to try and avoid the usual protests that always happen. Supposedly each bid was independent audited and vetted to avoid the chances of a protest…

      Has it already been protested???
      My life has been on pause waiting to hear the outcome of the bidding for the past year, and is STILL on pause waiting to get a GO date…UGH…hurry up and wait!

Recent Comments

  • Bert Parks on Readers Speak Out! (January 2023): “If Miss America is unable to fulfill her duties, the First Runner UP Miss Florida, Rhonda Santis will take the…” May 28, 17:40
  • Gregorius Anicius on Readers Speak Out! (January 2023): “My calendar could remedy this problem, and Socrates could be brought back from the dead simply through juggling the details…” May 28, 10:08
  • Socrates (already dead, 680BC) on Readers Speak Out! (January 2023): “I suggest that your bedroom antics be examined by a ‘psychiatric professional’ for the vigor and perversion it exhibits. it’s…” May 28, 10:05
  • E. Pluribus (Unum) on LACo sheriff’s deputy union challenges tattoo, gang probe orders: “hang on. how can ALADS suggest that subversion of law can be achieved through contract negotiation? if ‘gangs’ are ‘criminals’…” May 28, 10:01
  • Truth on Sheriff’s deputy charged with abusing 5-year-old son: “Domestic violence is an automatic ticket to get your guns taken away on a federal level. No owning guns for…” May 28, 08:05

Copyright © 2023 · The AV Times LLC. All rights reserved. Terms of Use