IMTS to Showcase F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Maryland) will exhibit a full-scale model of its F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter during the 2010 edition of IMTS – The International Manufacturing and Technology Show, which is scheduled for September 13-18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.The 5th-generation fighter combines advanced stealth capability with speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment and lower operational and support costs, the company says.
Lockheed Martin (Bethesda, Maryland) will exhibit a full-scale model of its F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter during the 2010 edition of IMTS – The International Manufacturing and Technology Show, which is scheduled for September 13-18 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.
The 5th-generation fighter combines advanced stealth capability with speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations, advanced sustainment and lower operational and support costs, the company says. Lockheed is developing the F-35 with industrial partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems. Two separate, interchangeable engines are in development for the fighter: the Pratt & Whiteney F135 and the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136.
The F-35 is intended to be the world’s premier strike aircraft through 2040, with the United States intending to buy 2,443 of the total 4,000 planes forecast to be built for U.S. and foreign customers combined. With an overall value estimated at $323 billion, the F-35 is the largest defense program ever.
The plane will be displayed in the front of McCormick Place’s West Building in booth #W100. Plans are also in the works to provide attendees with photo opportunities.
“While the manufacturing technology featured at IMTS stands alone as a must-see, what’s really exciting is seeing the end result from some of those machines,” says John Krisko, IMTS Director – Exhibitions. “Everyone at the show will have the opportunity to learn about the plane’s construction and the manufacturing technology behind it.”
For more information about IMTS, visit imts.com.
