Lockheed Martin to produce 133 to 139 F-35s in 2021 as Covid hangover lingers
Beagle TGLockheed Martin plans to manufacture between 133 and 139 examples of its F-35 stealth fighter in 2021, a number about the same as 2019 levels, but below previous projections as the programme continues to feel the lingering effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
The lower number of deliveries is part of the “process of recovering from the disruption of Covid”, says Bridget Lauderdale, vice-president of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II programme, at the company’s Final Assembly and Check Out facility in Fort Worth, Texas on 10 June. Lauderdale was named the head of the programme in April.