JSF First Flight
Today, the Lockheed prototype version of the Joint Strike Fighter, X-32A, First Flew from the Lockheed Martin central assembly facility in Palmdale, CA towards Edwards AFB, CA.
X-32 will enter a program of 50 tests at Edwards AFB and it was flew by Lockheed's chief test pilot, Fred Knox.
Lockheed Martin and Boeing are compeeting for the biggest part of production and assembly of the future Joint Strike Fighter Program, a Program which will cost no less than 220 billion dollars over the next 25 years to fit the US Air Force, US Navy, US Marine Corps, US Army, Royal Navy and at least 10 other armed forces all over the world with a single fighter slightly modified to fit all the diffrent tasks neccesary in diffrent services. No matter who will win this competition, may it be Lockheed or Boeing, the looser will also get the opportunity to produce a small ammount of parts and instruments of the JSF, while almoust 20-40% of it will be produced in other countries worldwide, which makes the JSF a very low cost fighter compared to the technology it incorporates.
Romania asked and got permission to built several parts for the JSF Program in 1997, in its facilities of IAR Ghimbav SA, Aerostar Bacau SA, Avioane Craiova SA, Aeroteh SA Bucuresti, etc, but the corrupt Romanian government of that time dropped the deal in 1998...
Boeing's version, the X-35, is yet to make its First Flight.
19th of September 2000
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