The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program met its production goal of 45 aircraft in 2015, bringing the total number of operational aircraft deliveries for the U.S. and partner militaries to 154 jets.
“Meeting aircraft production goals is a critical stepping stone in demonstrating the program is ready for the expected significant production ramp up,” said F-35 Program Office chief Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan said in a Dec. 21 statement. “It took thousands of people around the world to achieve this milestone and they should all be proud of what they accomplished.”
The 45th jet was designated AF-84, and was delivered to the Air Force. In all, 154 combat coded jets have been delivered to six nations including Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom and the United States since the first delivery in 2011. F-35s are located at 10 bases in the United States and have flown more than 45,000 hours during 16,000 sorties.
The 45 F-35 deliveries in 2015 include 26 conventional takeoff and landing F-35As for the Air Force, two more F-35As for the Royal Norwegian Air Force, one F-35A for the Italian air force, eight short takeoff and vertical landing F-35Bs for the Marine Corps and eight carrier-based F-35Cs for the Navy and Marine Corps. Norway’s and Italy’s jets were firsts for those countries.
The program delivered 36 F-35s in 2014, so has achieved a 25 percent increase in overall production year over year, according to Lockheed.
Of those aircraft, 44 were produced at Lockheed’s mile-long F-35 factory in Fort Worth, Texas. One – the first – rolled off the final assembly and checkout facility in Cameri, Italy.
F-35 manufacturer Lockheed Martin has delivered more aircraft each year since production began. The company is ramping up to a peak production rate of 17 aircraft per month, which is a key tenet of Lockheed’s plan to achieve economies of scale for its customers. The company has a stated goal of bringing the per-aircraft cost down to $80 million by 2019. A boost to fulfill orders from international F-35 partners in coming years will help that downward trend, program officials have said.
“Delivering the most F-35s in program history is a clear demonstration of our growing maturity and stability,” Lorraine Martin, Lockheed’s F-35 general manager, said in a statement. “Congratulations to the entire government and industry team for their work to deliver 45 aircraft.”