Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has delivered its 123rd F-35 Lightning II fighter aircraft this year. The aircraft, an F-35A, was built at the company’s Final Assembly and Checkout (FACO) facility in Cameri, Italy, and delivered to the Italian air force last week. According to Lockheed Martin, 74 F-35s went to the U.S. military, 31 to international partner nations and 18 to foreign military sales customers.
“The F-35 joint enterprise team rapidly responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic to continue to deliver the unmatched combat capability the F-35 brings to the Warfighter,” said Bill Brotherton, Lockheed Martin acting vice president and general manager of the F-35 program. “Achieving this milestone amid a global pandemic is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the team and their commitment to our customers’ missions.”
Citing supplier delays related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Lockheed Martin decided last May to reduce its original goal of delivering 141 F-35s in 2020 to 117-123 aircraft. The company reports that there are currently more than 600 F-35s in operation around the world with 1,200 pilots trained on the aircraft. The F-35 fleet has currently logged more than 350,000 flight hours.
