TAI Delivers First F-35 Structural Assemblies

Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) has handed over the first structural assemblies to Northrop Grumman as part of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program. Made up of more than 100 parts each, the assemblies will be placed in center fuselages for F-35 conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) variants at Northrop’s facility in Palmdale, Calif.



TAI is producing all of the structural assemblies for the CTOL versions in the F-35 program at its manufacturing complex in Ankara, Turkey. Northrop has responsibility for design and production of three variants of the F-35 — CTOL, short takeoff, vertical landing and carrier-compatible. The Lockheed Martin-led team anticipates building more than 3,100 aircraft under the entire program.
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