NGC Begins Assembling First F-35 Production Jet

Milestone Provides Momentum for Transition From Development to Production Phases

(Palmdale, Calif., April 1, 2008) -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has begun assembling the center fuselage for the first production Lightning II jet, a weight-optimized, U.S. Air Force F-35A conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) variant designated AF-6. The center fuselage is the core structure around which the F-35 aircraft is built.

The assembly process began March 24 at the company's Palmdale Manufacturing Center with the loading of an all-composite air inlet duct into a special tooling structure called a jig. This first assembly process, one of approximately 18 major steps in assembling an F-35 center fuselage, consists of attaching metal frames around the duct. The frames serve to brace and position the duct properly within the center fuselage.

"Jig loading the AF-6 center fuselage is significant because it shows the F-35 program is successfully transitioning from the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase into the production phase," said Janis Pamiljans, vice president and F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "Through a disciplined approach to managing costs and engineering changes, we've reduced our average center fuselage assembly time by approximately 28 percent since the SDD program began."

Source : Northrop Grumman Corporation

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