MARIETTA, Ga., Sept. 14, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin's (NYSE: LMT) first F-35 Lightning II center wing produced here is complete and en route to the F-35 final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas.

"The delivery of this center wing is doubly important for Lockheed Martin's Marietta site. Not only does it usher in a new era of aircraft assembly, but it also continues a strong 5th generation fighter tradition inherent to this facility," said Shan Cooper, Lockheed Martin vice president and Marietta site general manager. "The F-35 fighter represents the future of air supremacy and the Marietta team is proud to contribute to this historic program."

Lockheed Martin's Marietta facility is also home of the 5th Generation Coatings Center of Excellence, which supports all F-35 horizontal and vertical tail coating work.

This first Marietta-built center wing will be installed in the 25th F-35, an F-35B. With this center wing, Lockheed Martin begins a transition of center wing production from Fort Worth to Marietta to support rate production. In the future, Alenia Aeronautica in Italy will also build the components.

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. It will be produced in three variants that are derived from a common design. The Marietta F-35 center wing team will produce units for all three aircraft variants.

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:
www.lockheedmartin.com
www.f35.com

SOURCE Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company