On Wednesday, 20 July 2022, the Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos travelled from Washington to Fort Worth, Texas, USA, to visit “Lockheed Martin” facilities and be informed in detail on the production procedures and operational capabilities of the 5th generation F-35 fighters.
Mr. Panagiotopoulos was warmly welcomed by the Executive Vice President of Aeronautics Mr. Gregory M. Ulmer, the Vice President of Business Development Initiatives Ms. Deni Plessa, the Vice President and General Manager of Aeronautics Operations Ms. Bridget Lauderdale and by “Lockheed Martin” executives. He participated in a briefing regarding the 5th generation F-35 fighters’ construction.
The Minister subsequently visited the F-35 production line at Fort Worth state-of-the-art facilities, to be informed of the construction procedures and supply chain support, for F-35 fighters’ construction, as well as of the delivery time tables under development. He also visited the hangars where the new fighters are tested and was fully briefed by the test pilot Mr. Chris Spinelli on the technical and operational characteristics of the aircraft.
