Lockheed opens new facility to support F-35 production growth

These new jobs are in addition to the 30 Lockheed Martin jobs added late last year to support the increasing F-35 production rate. The facility is expected to be operational by mid-May, a press release reads. The company currently employs approximately 270 people at the Pinellas Park operation. The new facility will assemble canopies and bulkheads for the F-35 Lightning II program. The expanded work is a result of the rapid growth of the F-35 production program. The facility, located in Pinellas County, adds 65'500 square feet of manufacturing and office space and is expected to begin delivering parts to the main F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, by mid-summer. In 2018 alone, the Pinellas facility will deliver more than 200 F-35 components to support production and sustainment of the growing F-35 fleet. "This is an exciting day for us in Pinellas Park," said André Trotter, program director and general manager of the Lockheed Martin Pinellas Park operation. "Continued growth and success of the F-35 program is vital to our national security. The hard-working men and women who produce critical components for the F-35 program are what make all of this possible."