Israel Aerospace Launches F-35 Jet Wing Skins Production Line

Lockheed Martin has selected Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) as a sub-contractor to manufacture wing skins for F-35 fighter jets. IAI has launched a new production line for skins for the F-35 wings.

IAI's board approved construction of the new production line in 2015. The 20-year program is expected to yield revenue of hundreds of millions of dollars, with shipments expected from the beginning of 2019. The first shipments will be of 700 kits with potential for additional orders at a later stage, Globes news daily reported Sunday.

The skins will be manufactured by means of Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) technology that comprises layers of composite materials. The layers consist of 3-mm threads that become a cohesive unit, thus forming the special wing skin that provides them with the stealth capability.