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Workers in Texas and California began fabricating the first major airframe components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter on 10 November as milling machines at Progressive Inc. in Arlington, Texas, and at H.M. Dunn Co. Inc. in Euless, Texas, began cutting a wing bulkhead and the forward fuselage radar bulkhead, respectively, for the supersonic stealth fighter. Simultaneously, Brek Manufacturing in Gardena, California, a subcontractor to Northrop Grumman Corp., a principal teammate on the F-35 program, started the milling process on the F-35's center fuselage canopy shelf. All three of the companies are classified as either small businesses or veteran-owned businesses. The first F-35 is scheduled for completion in mid-2005.
Photo By Randy Crites |
