Lockheed Martin hits F-35 delivery target for 2017

Lockheed Martin has announced that it has delivered the 66th F-35 aircraft for the year, meeting the joint US government and industry delivery target for 2017.

To date, more than 265 F-35 aircraft have been delivered to US and international customers. More than 530 pilots and nearly 5,000 maintainers have been trained, and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more than 115,000 cumulative flight hours.

The supersonic, multi-role F-35 represents a transformational capability providing state-of-the-art situational awareness, lethality and survivability.

Sixty-six F-35 deliveries in 2017 represents more than a 40% increase from 2016, and the F-35 enterprise is prepared to increase production volume year-over-year to hit full rate of approximately 160 aircraft in 2023.

As production ramps and additional improvements are implemented, Lockheed Martin’s goal is to reduce the cost of an F-35A to $80 million by 2020.

Lockheed Martin Executive Vice President and F-35 Program General Manager, Jeff Babione, said: “Meeting our 2017 delivery commitment is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our joint government and industry team to deliver the transformational F-35 air system to the warfighter.

“The team continues to overcome program challenges and achieving this milestone gives our customers confidence that the F-35 enterprise can deliver on the increasing production quantities year-over-year.”

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