Assembly Under Way on 100th F-35

Lockheed Martin announced that its technicians are installing the wings on the 100th F-35 strike fighter built to date on the company’s production line in Fort Worth, Tex. This airframe is an Air Force F-35A model, designated AF-41, that is destined for assignment at Luke AFB, Ariz., the future home of F-35A pilot training, according to the company’s release. Overall, the Air Force has plans to procure 1,763 F-35As. Of the first 100 F-35s, 40 have been for the Air Force: AF-1 through AF-41, with no AF-5 built in the series. The remaining 60 jets comprise 37 Marine Corps F-35Bs, 12 Navy F-35Cs, six ground test aircraft, three British jets, and two Dutch strike fighters, Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Laura Siebert told the Daily Report on Feb. 5. The very first F-35, a non-production-representative F-35A test jet dubbed AA-1, is not included in the 100, said Siebert.