News
Third F-35 for the U.K. Arrives at Eglin Air Force Base
The third Lockheed Martin F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) Lightning II for the United Kingdom arrived at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., yesterday where it will be used for pilot and maintainer training.

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Roger
Hardy piloted the aircraft known as BK-3 (ZM137) on its 90-minute ferry flight
from the Lockheed Martin F-35 production facility at Naval Air Station Fort
Worth Joint Reserve Base.
“Today’s
arrival of BK-3 is the latest step in delivering the F-35’s unprecedented
capability to UK Defence,” said Group Captain Harv Smyth, the UK’s Joint Strike
Fighter National Deputy. “With each passing day, our ‘Lightning’ programme is
maturing. In less than a year, we have taken ownership of our first three
aircraft and begun both pilot and engineer training. The ‘Lightning’ truly
represents a turning point for U.K.’s Combat Air capability and will
dramatically increase our ability to defend national sovereignty interests and
ensure security around the globe.”
The
F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with
fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled
operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35
with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems,
headquartered in the U.K. The U.S. Marine Corps plans to declare Initial
Operational Capability with the STOVL in 2015.
The
program’s more than 500 British suppliers will build 15 percent of each F-35
produced. U.K. industry is responsible for numerous F-35 components including
the aft fuselage, fuel system, crew escape system and more. Key F-35 suppliers
in the U.K. include BAE Systems, GE Aviation, Martin-Baker, SELEX, Cobham,
Ultra Electronics, UTC Actuation Systems and Rolls-Royce. Over the next 40
years, U.K. industry will continue to play a vital role in the F-35’s global
production, follow-on development and sustainment, bringing strong economic
benefits to the country and generating tens of thousands of jobs.