Japan Rolls Out First F-35

Sept. 26, 2016 | By Wilson Brissett

Japan rolled out its first F-35A Lightning II Friday at a ceremony attended by senior Japanese and US officials at Lockheed Martin’s Forth Worth, Texas, assembly facility. With the initial aircraft, AX-1, on the stage in the background, Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson called the event an “important milestone for the special relationship between the United States and Japan.” Hewson said that three more F-35s for Japan would be made in Fort Worth, to be followed by another 38 that would be made in Mitsubishi’s final assembly and checkout facility in Nagoya, Japan. “The F-35 will be the treasure of Japan,” said State Minister of Defense Kenji Wakamiya. “The F-35A will be the engine that moves our strong alliance forward,” added Gen. Yoshiyuki Sugiyama, Chief of Japan’s Air Self Defense Force.

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