FORT WORTH, Texas, June 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Israeli and U.S.
government leaders joined Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) to celebrate
the rollout of the first Israeli Air Force F-35A Lightning II,
marking a major production milestone for the future of Israel's
national defense.
"Israel is proud to be the first country in the area to receive
and operate it," said Avigdor
Liberman, Israel's Minister of Defense. "The F-35 is the
best aircraft in the world and the choice of all our military
leadership at its highest level. It is clear and obvious to us and
to the entire region that the new F-35, the Adir, will create real
deterrence and enhance our capabilities for a long time."
Brig. Gen. Tal Kelman, IAF Chief
of Staff said, "As a pilot who has flown more than 30 years in a
great variety of aircraft, I had the privilege of flying the F-35
simulator in Fort Worth and it was
like holding the future in my hands. The unique combination of
split-edge technology, lethality and the amazing man-machine
interface will lead the world to the fifth generation."
Joining the Minister at the ceremony, attended by more than 400
guests from government, the military and industry, were the
Honorable U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel
Shapiro; Minister Tzachi
Hanegbi of Israel's Office of the Prime Minister;
Heidi Grant, Deputy Under Secretary
of the U.S. Air Force for International Affairs; Lt. Gen.
Chris Bogdan, F-35 Program Executive
Officer, Texas Governor
Greg Abbott, and Texas State
Congressman Craig Goldman.
"We're honored to partner with Israel and help strengthen the
deep and lasting partnership between our two nations," said
Marillyn Hewson, Lockheed Martin
Chairman, President and CEO at the ceremony. "The F-35 will help
Israel remain a beacon of strength and stability in the region and
support a safe and secure homeland for generations to come."
Israel's F-35, called Adir – which means "Mighty One" in Hebrew
– will be a significant addition to maintaining Israel's
qualitative military edge in the Middle
East region, with its advanced capability to defeat emerging
threats, including advanced missiles and heavily-defended airspace.
The F-35 combines advanced low observable stealth technology with
fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information,
network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment support.
Israel's program of record is 33 F-35A Conventional Take Off and
Landing, or CTOL, aircraft, acquired through the U.S. government's
Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Israel's contribution to the
F-35 program includes Israel Aerospace Industries F-35A wing
production; Elbit Systems Ltd. work on the Generation III
helmet-mounted display system, which all F-35 pilots fleet-wide
will wear; and Elbit Systems-Cyclone F-35 center fuselage composite
components production.
Three distinct variants of the F-35 will replace the F-16
Fighting Falcon and A/OA-10 Thunderbolt II for the U.S. Air Force,
the F/A-18 Hornet for the U.S. Navy, the F/A-18 and AV-8B Harrier
for the U.S. Marine Corps, and a variety of fighters for at least
11 other countries. Following the U.S. Marine Corps' July 2015 combat-ready Initial Operational
Capability (IOC) declaration, the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy
intend to attain service IOC this year and in 2018,
respectively. More than 170 delivered F-35s have flown more
than 60,000 flight hours,
fleet-wide.
For additional information about the F-35 program, visit our
website: www.f35.com.
About Lockheed Martin
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a
global security and aerospace company that employs approximately
125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the
research, design, development, manufacture, integration and
sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and
services.
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SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company