They will build in Germany a plant to produce “centre fuselage” parts for the F-35A fifth-generation fighters. The plant will be constructed with the participation of three companies, including Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and Rheinmetall, as reported by Defence24.pl.
"This marks an important milestone in the German F-35 program – this increase in capacity helps meet the growing global demand that further enables the F-35 to stay ahead of evolving threats in the 21st century landscape," said Mike Shoemaker, vice president of F-35 Customer Programs at Lockheed Martin.
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The factory, which is estimated to cost €200 million (slightly over $219 million) and will have an area of some 60,000 square meters, is to go into operation in 2025.
It is up to 450 workers will produce the fuselage parts for at least 400 of the aircraft, 35 of which are earmarked for use by Germany's armed forces.
The other planes, deliveries of which are scheduled for 2026, are likely to be purchased by other NATO partners.
The remaining components for the aircraft are to be supplied by other manufacturers. At the same time, German media report that Rheinmetall will receive only a small part of the proceeds.
As Defense Express reported, Ukraine commenced the construction of the Bayraktar UAV manufacturing plant in collaboration with Turkey
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