Lockheed Martin has completed the deliveries of 91 F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter aircraft this year.
With the delivery of the 91 F-35 aircraft, Lockheed Martin has also met the 2018 F-35 production target. The aircraft is intended for delivery to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina, US.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The company stated that this year’s target achievement represents nearly a 40% production increase from 2017 and 100% increase compared to 2016.
In 2019, the company aims to achieve another 40% production increase with more than 130 F-35 deliveries.
Lockheed Martin F-35 programme vice-president and general manager Greg Ulmer said: “This milestone demonstrates the F-35 enterprise is prepared for full-rate production and ready to deliver on increasing demand from our customers worldwide.
“Year-over-year, we have increased production, lowered costs, reduced build time, and improved quality and on-time deliveries. Today, the F-35 is the most capable fighter jet in the world, and we’re delivering more aircraft per year than any other fighter on the market at equal to or less cost.”
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalDataCurrently, more than 355 F-35 have been delivered to ten nations, which are operating from 16 bases. About seven countries have an F-35 operating base on their home soil.
Four services have declared initial operating capability status for the aircraft while two services have deployed their F-35s in combat operations.
In total, the F-35 fleet has logged in more than 175,000 cumulative flight hours.
The lethal, survivable and connected F-35 aircraft features stealth technology, supersonic speed, advanced sensors, weapons capacity and superior range.
