TOKYO -- Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has begun final assembly and checkout on the Lockheed Martin F-35A stealth fighter jet, expecting to work on two of the aircraft by the end of fiscal 2017 and 16 more by the end of fiscal 2020.
The F-35 is the most advanced U.S. fighter yet, developed as an international collaboration among nine countries. Japan's Ministry of Defense intends to procure 42 fighters. Mitsubishi Heavy will build 38 for Lockheed Martin at its Komaki Minami plant in Aichi Prefecture.
