Lockheed Quietly Delivered 1,000th F-35 in July; Clearing Full Backlog May Take 18 Months
Sept. 19, 2024 | By John A. Tirpak
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md.—It will take up to 18 months to clear the full backlog of F-35s that went directly from the production line into storage, company aeronautics president Greg Ulmer told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The company did reach one noticeable milestone in July, though, delivering its 1,000th Lightning II fighter with little fanfare.
Ulmer, speaking with Air & Space Forces Magazine at AFA’s Air, Space & Cyber Conference, said he couldn’t provide the specific rate at which Lockheed is delivering its stored F-35s, but said “it’s going well. It’s going to take us 12-18 months to get those aircraft and [the] backlog out.”
Eighteen months is longer than the Government Accountability Office estimated in May. The sequence of delivery has been approved by the users, Ulmer said.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/lockheed-f-35-backlog-18-months-1000th/
