The Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) team has selected its preferred windtunnel test facilities for the program's Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase.

The chosen facilities include Arnold Engineering Development Center, Aircraft Research Association (United Kingdom), BAE SYSTEMS (U.K.), Bihrle Applied Research, DNW (Netherlands), NASA Langley, NASA Ames, NASA Glenn and Veridian Engineering.

"Real-world test data is the backbone of our design process, and our comprehensive test program verifies the performance of our JSF family over the complete flight envelope, from low-speed STOVL to supersonic up-and-away," said Harry Blot, vice president and deputy program manager of the Lockheed Martin JSF. "We use simulation to the greatest extent possible, but we rely on wind-tunnel testing and actual flying to validate our design."

Lockheed Martin made the selection following a comprehensive competitive, assessment of each facility's qualifications to meet the requirements of the planned test types. The team made best-value selections based on technical competency, affordability and availability for each test type. (Facility selections for two test types have been delayed until the start of EMD.)

"Many of the final selection decisions were difficult because all of the competing facilities are world-class and highly qualified," said Mike Fox of Lockheed Martin JSF Verification and Test. "The nine selected U.S. government, commercial, and international facilities have scheduled the tests and are fully committed to accomplishing the test plan."

Integrated use of these partnering facilities, along with the Lockheed Martin JSF team wind tunnels, will provide a technically sound and cost- efficient testing approach, Fox said.

The single-seat, single-engine JSF will be a stealthy and highly advanced replacement for an aging fleet of U.S. and United Kingdom warplanes, including the A-10, F-16, F/A-18 and Harrier. The JSF's projected per-unit cost -- about $31 million -- is less than that of most current-generation non-stealth fighters.

Lockheed Martin, in partnership with Northrop Grumman and BAE SYSTEMS, is competing to build the JSF for the United States and United Kingdom. Government selection of a single contractor for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase is set for fall 2001.

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For information on Lockheed Martin Corporation , visit: http://www.lockheedmartin.com

For information on Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, visit: http://www.lmaeronautics.com/

For government information on the Joint Strike Fighter program, visit http://www.jast.mil/

SOURCE: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company