Posted 3-29-2005 at 09:43 AM

PALMDALE -- Lockheed Martin said it and its partners are on track to start the final assembly of the first F-35 joint strike fighter in May in Texas.

The first F-35 center fuselage is nearing completion at Northrop Grumman in Palmdale and will be shipped this spring to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, Lockheed Martin said.

The aft fuselage and tails are being built by BAE Systems in England and will also be shipped to Fort Worth.

Electrical systems installation has begun on the forward fuselage at Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth.

The first wing assembly was completed in late 2004 in Fort Worth. The wing's carbon-fiber composite skins are being prepared for attachment.

Assembly of the first plane -- an F-35A conventional takeoff and landing version for the U.S. Air Force -- is expected to be completed at the end of the year. First flight is planned for August 2006.

Assembly of the center fuselage for a short-takeoff F-35B -- the type built for the U.S. Marines -- is expected to start this spring at Northrop Grumman.

Lockheed Martin will begin F-35B assembly in the fall and BAE Systems will start assembling F-35B components in early 2006.

The F-35 is a supersonic, stealth aircraft designed to replace the American AV-8B Harrier, A-10, F-16 and F/A-18 Hornet and the United Kingdom's Harrier GR-7 and Sea Harrier.

Three variants of the aircraft will be produced: one for the Air Force that will take off and land conventionally; one for the Navy, for use on aircraft carriers; and one for the Marine Corps that will be able to take off and land vertically or almost vertically.

Present plans call for 2,593 of the jets to be built, with 150 of those going to the United Kingdom. Additional sales are expected to be made to foreign allies.

I don't really like the F-35, its cool and everything, but I don't see the style and look in it. It doesn't have the sexiness of an F-14 or Hawker Hunter (Probably the most 'prettiest' example of a Jet aircraft).

That said it most definately will own!