American F-35 program officials joined Norwegian defense officials for the rollout of Norway’s first completed F-35A at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth, Texas, facility, according to a release. “We all know that the F-35 is not simply another fighter. We know that it is much more,” said Norwegian Defense Minister Ine Eriksen Soreide. “The F-35 provides us a capability we’ve never had before.” Frank Kendall, the US undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics, thanked the people of Norway during the ceremony “for their persistence and their consistent support “ of the program. The plane will now move to Luke AFB, Ariz., while Norway’s training program is established. The country’s second F-35 is due to roll out of the factory this year, and a third will roll out next year, Lockheed said. Norway plans to buy 52 F-35s.
As Lockheed Martin prepares to release the first F-35 Block 4 software updates this summer, the company and the Joint Program Office are already well into analyses that will decide what will comprise Block 5 and later upgrades, Lockheed’s F-35 program manager said. For now though, some of the new…