State-owned Israeli firm wins F-35 wing contract
by The Canadian Press
Company will build the wings in plant that is currently building F-16 wings.
JERUSALEM—Israel Aerospace Industries has signed a long-term contract with U.S. defence giant Lockheed Martin to produce wings for the F-35 next-generation fighter jet.
The state-owned company said 10 to 15 year contract could generate up to $2.5 billion in sales. It says the wings will be made at an Israeli facility that already produces wings for Lockheed’s F-16 warplane.
The F-35 is the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program, with an estimated cost of nearly $400 billion. The program aims to replace a wide range of existing aircraft for the U.S. and several partner countries.
The program has suffered repeated delays. The Pentagon briefly grounded its small fleet of F-35s in February after discovering a small crack in an engine turbine blade.
