첫번째 F-35 가 록히드 마틴 공장에서 조립완료 되었습니다. 세가지 버전의 전투기중 CTOL Type의 전투기가 첫번째로 선보인것이고, 가을에 첫비행이 예정되어 있다고 합니다. 첫비행이 원래는 6월달 아니었나요? 또 늦어졌나? 개발지연에 대한 비난도 많지만 현재까지의 진도는 비교적 양호한 진행상태인것 같습니다. F-35만의 문제라기 보다는 그만큼 전투기 개발하기 힘들다는 반증인지도 모르죠. http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20060220-022201-9586r First F-35 Joint Strike Fighter rolls out FORT WORTH, Texas, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The Joint Strike Fighter program reached a milestone Sunday when the first production F-35 rolled out of the door at the Lockheed Martin plant in Texas. The conventional takeoff version of the three-service warplane is part of the Concept Development Phase of the program and will undergo intensive testing on the ground until this fall when the first flight is scheduled, Lockheed announced Monday. "This program is young, and plenty of hard work remains ahead, but the F-35's move to the flight line is a major milestone," Air Force Brig. Gen. C.R. Davis said in a news release. "It's a great day." The Joint Strike Fighter is slated to replace a number of aircraft in use by the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, including such venerable planes as the F/A-18 Hornet, F-16 Falcon, A-10 Warthog and AV-8B Harrier. The plane that came off the Fort Worth assembly line over the weekend is the Air Force version; the Navy version is designed for carrier operations while the Marine model performs short takeoffs and vertical landings like the Harrier. Lockheed plans to fill the plane with fuel at the Fort Worth facility and then give the fuel system a thorough check. Ground-vibration and structural coupling testing will then take place before the aircraft takes to the air in the fall. "Our team's engineers, mechanics and assemblers deserve high praise for the way in which this airplane came together with very few issues," said Program Manager Dan Crowley. "The fact that this level of quality was achieved on our first aircraft, at the beginning of our learning curve, signals good things." The production of the initial F-35s is particularly good news for Lockheed and proponents of the JSF concept because despite its high-tech features and stealthy airframe, the F-35 is considered to be particularly expensive and possibly of limited value in the context of current U.S. military counter-terrorism and peacekeeping missions. Last week, a Pentagon plan to use engines produced by two companies -- General Electric and Rolls Royce -- rather than one contractor, was scratched by the White House in a move to save $1.8 billion.