The F-35: Changing the Face of the Defense Industry

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter has been in development for over a decade. The program may have had its ups and downs, but what’s clear is that the F-35 has changed the game. The development of this new fighter has fundamentally altered how combat aircraft will be developed in the future.

You may be wondering how the F-35 has changed the landscape of the defense industry. What does this program do differently? The answer is large-scale international collaboration. There were multiple companies from different countries who have a hand in the development of this plane. Naturally the United States plays a large role in the program, but Britain, Canada, Italy, Turkey, Australia, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands are all involved in the aircraft’s creation. Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest defense contractors, has made sure that the F-35’s supply chain is a global one. This means that the nations participating in this program will continue to be committed to it. No single company or country is responsible for the success of the F-35 program; it is a truly collaborative project.

In addition to that, multiple new composite factories have already been built because of this project. Aerospace and defense companies will continue to find use for these facilities for future products. Plus, the advancements made by the collaborating companies while developing this aircraft will also carry over to new projects both military and commercial. What is abundantly clear is that the F-35 will be very important, not just to Lockheed Martin and the other collaborating companies, but to the defense and aerospace industries as a whole. And here at Dynomax, we’re excited to see where things go from here.