F-35 finally approved for full-rate production, years late
The program has been stuck in its operational testing phase since 2018.
AUDREY DECKER | MARCH 12, 2024 07:43 PM ET
AIR FORCE NAVY MARINE CORPS INDUSTRY
The Pentagon has officially approved the F-35 fighter jet for full-rate production, years after the planemaker began delivering the aircraft.
Typically, reaching full-rate production is an important milestone for the Pentagon’s weapons systems. But for the F-35 program, it’s more of a technicality: Lockheed Martin has been building F-35s at maximum capacity—156 jets per year—and has delivered nearly a thousand to customers.
“This is a major achievement for the F-35 program. This decision—backed by my colleagues in the department—highlights to the services, F-35 cooperative program partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers that the F-35 is stable and agile, and that all statutory and regulatory requirements have been appropriately addressed. The F-35 program is the premier system that drives interoperability with our allies and partners while contributing to the integrated deterrence component of our National Defense Strategy,” Bill LaPlante, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, said in a Pentagon release.
https://www.defenseone.com/business/2024/03/f-35-finally-approved-full-rate-production-years-late/394891/
