Northrop Grumman, a leading global aerospace and defense technology company, has delivered the 1,500th center fuselage for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft from its Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) in Palmdale, California — a landmark that spotlights composites as the backbone of high-performance airframe production.
The center fuselage, a core structural element fabricated with advanced composite materials to optimize strength-to-weight ratios and stealth characteristics, is produced at a cadence of roughly one unit every 30 hours, enabled by automation, AR/VR-assisted assembly, and digital thread integration.
- Using advanced manufacturing technologies, the IAL delivers one center fuselage every 30 hours and seamlessly produces center fuselages for all three F-35 variants on a single production line.
- The use of AR/VR tools on the IAL led to a 35 percent reduction in center fuselage assembly time and a 20 percent reduction in technician learning curve.
Northrop Grumman is a principal partner on the F-35 Lightning II industry team and also produces the F-35's AN/APG-81 AESA radar, distinct microchips for the sensor, and wing skins, while providing sustainment support to US and international customers.
Source: Northrop Grumman
