JSF's Weight Problems Nearing Solution, Contractor Says

Published: Jul 23, 2004
Source: www.aviationnow.com



FARNBOROUGH, England - Lockheed Martin Corp., the prime contractor for the U.S. Defense Department's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, has developed a proposal that mostly would solve the aircraft's problems with excess weight, a company official said July 21.

Tom Burbage, a Lockheed Martin executive vice president who oversees the company's F-35 efforts, told reporters at the Farnborough Air Show that Lockheed Martin has come up with a combination of weight reductions and thrust-related efficiencies that would have the equivalent effect of losing 2,500 pounds, which is roughly the size of the bulge that Lockheed Martin has been grappling with for more than a year.continue..