RAAF BASE WILLIAMTOWN and NEWCASTLE, Australia, Dec. 9,
2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Australia's first two
locally-based F-35 fighter aircraft arrived on home soil today at
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Williamtown, signalling the dawn
of a new era for the nation's defence capabilities.
Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) designed and built Australia's fleet of F-35s and also serves as
the global industry lead for F-35 sustainment.
The most advanced fighter jet ever built, the F-35 will be a
catalyst for the transformation of the Australian Defence Force
(ADF), utilising its sensors and low observability to operate with
impunity in contested airspace and fuse a picture of the
battlespace for other air, land and sea assets. Along with its
advanced weapons capacity and superior range, the 5th
Generation F-35 is the most lethal, survivable and connected
fighter in the world.
"The arrival of the first F-35 aircraft to be permanently based
in Australia is a historic
occasion and we are proud of our role as the 5th
Generation design pioneer and F-35 original equipment
manufacturer," said Chief Executive of Lockheed Martin Australia,
Vince Di Pietro AM, CSC.
"We congratulate the RAAF, the ADF and all of our Australian
industry partners who have worked to make this achievement a
reality."
Australia Plays Major Role in the F-35 Program
Australian suppliers play a significant role in the F-35 program
with more than 50 Australian companies contributing to the global
program of record of more than 3,000 aircraft. To date, the F-35
program has secured more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs created and
generated more than $1.3 billion AUD
in contracts for Australian industry.
"Flown by Australian pilots, maintained by Australian
maintenance personnel and containing many best-of-breed advanced
components made right here in Australia, all Australians have every reason
to be proud of this achievement," Di
Pietro said.
"Australia plays a significant
role in the program with a suite of local industrial technology and
know-how behind the hundreds of F-35s flying today, as well as the
thousands of F-35s that will be produced in the future."
Lockheed Martin is the industry lead for F-35 global sustainment
and is working in partnership with the Australian Defence Force and
local industry to provide sustainment support and realise the full
potential of the F-35 as an integrated force multiplier for decades
to come.
Australia's has committed
to 72 F-35As, which will be flown by Australian pilots, and
maintained by a joint team of Australian maintenance personnel and
industry partners including Lockheed Martin Australia. Australia has received 10 aircraft to date,
the remainder of which are stationed at Luke Air Force Base in
Arizona where they are part of the
international cooperative F-35 training operations.
F-35 Program Grows Global Impact
Ten nations are currently flying F-35s, and with today's
arrival, Australia becomes the 7th
nation with F-35 aircraft based locally on their home soil, joining
the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Israel and Japan.
Additionally, with the formal stand-up of RAAF Williamtown,
F-35s are now operating from 16 bases worldwide. More than 340
F-35s are operating today, more than 700 pilots and 6,500
maintainers have been trained and the F-35 fleet has surpassed more
than 170,000 cumulative flight hours.
For more information about the Lockheed Martin F-35, visit:
https://www.f35.com/global/participation/australia
Images: https://images.airforce.gov.au/images/
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
100,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.
This year the company received three Edison Awards for
ground-breaking innovations in autonomy, satellite technology and
directed energy.
About Lockheed Martin Australia
Headquartered in
Canberra, Lockheed Martin
Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin
Corporation. The company employs more than 1,000 people in
Australia working on a wide range
of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil
sectors.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company