Northrop Grumman, a leading global aerospace and defense technology company, has delivered the 1,500^th 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 that collectively compress cycle times and reduce technician learning curves.

• 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 augmented reality and virtual reality (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. 

Details on Northrop Grumman s F-35 Role: 

• Northrop Grumman is a principal partner and teammate on the F-35 Lightning II industry team, which is developing, producing and sustaining three variants of this stealthy, supersonic, multirole fighter aircraft.  
• Northrop Grumman also produces the F-35 s AN/APG-81 AESA radar, along with distinct microchips needed by the sensor to support the integrated communication, navigation, identification (CNI) system and wing skins, leading the industry team in low observable technologies.    
• The company also provides sustainment support for the F-35 fleet to U.S. and international customers.