AEROSPACE giant BAE Systems has cut the first pieces of metal for the F-35 Lightning II aircraft, much of the production for which will be done at Samlesbury.
The opening cut on a component part of the aft fuselage, signifies a major milestone for the F-35 Lightning II programme.
The aircraft will enter into service with the US Air Force (USAF) in 2010 and follows the production contract announcement made in December last year which is worth £25m to BAE Systems.
The component was cut by BAE Systems' supplier Hyde, at their Manchester factory. The component will move to BAE Systems' Samlesbury site for further manufacturing work before all parts are assembled together before being shipped to programme partner, Lockheed Martin's site in Texas for final assembly.
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