BAE Systems meets production achievement on F-35 jets

Aug. 16 (UPI) -- BAE Systems in Great Britain said Wednesday it has made 10 percent of the global production requirement for components for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Lightning II fighter.

The milestone was achieved recently when the 318th aft fuselage for the aircraft left BAE's assembly line in Samlesbury, Lancashire, and shipped to a Lockheed Martin facility in Texas for integration onto a "B" naval variant of the British fighter.

"BAE Systems is a valued partner on the F-35 program, and we congratulate them on this significant milestone," Eric Branyan, vice president of F-35 Supply Chain Management for Lockheed Martin, said in a BAE news release. "The United Kingdom is the F-35 program's only tier-one partner and the work of BAE Systems and other in-country suppliers has a significant positive impact on the UK economy.

"We look forward to many more years of partnering to deliver the most advanced and capable 5th generation fighter jet to our allies around the world."

The aft fuselage is the back part of the F-35 fighter's main body.