Lockheed Martin F-35 Program Flight Test Update

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June 14, 2011
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Lockheed Martin F-35 Program Flight Test Update

FORT WORTH, Texas, June 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the last F-35 flight test program update issued May 11, Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) F-35 Lightning II 5th Generation multirole fighter conducted 93 test flights, bringing the total number of flights for the year to 411.

Overall, the F-35 program remains ahead of the overall goals for test flights and test points year-to-date. Through May 31, the program accomplished 378 flights versus a plan of 297 and accomplished 3,342 test points against a plan of 2,217.

Several flight test and production key milestones were accomplished since the last report:

    --  The F-35B short takeoff /vertical landing (STOVL) jet BF-1 performed the
        100th vertical landing for the test program on May 12. For 2011, 106
        vertical landings have been performed.
    --  The F-35A conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) jet AF-1 flew to Mach
        1.53, the fastest-to-date speed of the existing aircraft fleet.  AF-7
        completed the longest test mission to date lasting 4.1 hours.
    --  During the month of May, all three variants of the F-35 flew a combined
        total of 94 System Development and Demonstration (SDD) flights, the most
        achieved in a single month in program history.
    --  The F-35 program flew the most flights ever recorded on one day (May 25)
        when a combined total of 10 flights (includes SDD and LRIP) were
        completed at all three of its flight test locations at Edwards Air Force
        Base (EAFB), Calif.; Fort Worth, Texas; and Naval Air Station Patuxent
        River, Md. (PAX).
    --  The U.S. Air Force accepted into its fleet, the second of a planned
        1,763 production-model F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters when AF-6 was
        delivered to EAFB on May 13.  AF-6 was the second aircraft in Low Rate
        Initial Production (LRIP) lot one contractually delivered.
    --  One of the first two F-35A production aircraft that will be delivered to
        Eglin AFB, Fla., accomplished its first flight on May 13. Known as AF-9,
        the aircraft will be delivered to Eglin for pilot and maintainer
        training later this year. This jet is the second aircraft to fly from
        LRIP lot two.
    --  Two F-35C carrier variant (CV) aircraft, known as CF-2 and CF-3, were
        delivered to the F-35 test fleet at PAX. CF-2 was delivered May 16 and
        CF-3 delivered June 2.
    --  CF-2 successfully completed the first F-35 public fly by at the Andrews
        AFB, Md., Joint Services Open House Air Show during the opening ceremony
        for the event May 21.

The following statistics reflect the cumulative flight test activity totals for 2011:

    --  F-35A CTOL jets have flown 183 times.
    --  F-35B STOVL aircraft have completed 166 flights.
    --  F-35C CV jets have flown 62 times.
    --  From the start of flight testing in December 2006 through June 13, 2011,
        F-35s flew 971 times, including the production-model acceptance flights
        and AA-1.

The F-35 Lightning II is a 5th Generation fighter, combining advanced stealth with fighter speed and agility, fully fused sensor information, network-enabled operations and advanced sustainment. Lockheed Martin is developing the F-35 with its principal industrial partners, Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security company that employs about 126,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's 2010 sales from continuing operations were $45.8 billion.

For additional information, visit our websites:http://thef35.comhttp://www.lockheedmartin.comhttp://www.codeonemagazine.com

SOURCE  Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

CONTACT: Mike Rein, +1-817-763-2643, michael.j.rein@lmco.com, or Laurie Quincy, +1-817-763-3980, laurie.a.quincy@lmco.com, both of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company

Web Site: http://www.codeonemagazine.com

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