Boaz Levy, Israel Aerospace Industries President and CEO, said, “Delivering the F-16 aerostructures and the 200th F-35 wing to our partners at Lockheed Martin is a testament to the strong cooperation between our companies, and to the trust Lockheed Martin have given us. IAI’s aerostructures production lines utilize innovative technologies that provide our customers with advanced capabilities. We look forward to many more projects with Lockheed Martin, and will continue providing leading solutions to the industry.”

Joshua Shani, Chief Executive, Lockheed Martin Israel, shared, “Lockheed Martin’s growing sales of our most advanced platforms enable us to further expand local industrial partnerships. IAI is a valued partner for the F-35 and F-16 supply chains, manufacturing various parts and technologies for Lockheed Martin for more than 40 years. Lockheed Martin greatly values our long-standing relationship with the state of Israeli and its defense industries and look forward to further expand our cooperations throughout all our key programs”.

IAI Delivers First Sets of F-16 Aerostructures and 200th F-35 Wing to Lockheed Martin

IAI has been manufacturing aerostructures for Lockheed Martin since the 1980s. With the new demand for the F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft, IAI recently reopened the assembly lines for the F-16 Wings, Vertical Fins and Conformal Fuel Tanks. Prior to reopening the F-16 assembly lines, IAI invested in modernizing infrastructure, improving the work environment, and introducing new tools to produce fully compliant F-16 aerostructures.

IAI also successfully reestablished the supply chain of hardware suppliers to support the assembly lines, checked and verified tooling, carried out necessary first article inspections, and conducted training programs for the F-16 team. IAI’s Aviation Group is a leader in developing and producing advanced technologies, avionic structures, and assemblies. It offers a dedicated line for making F-35 outer wing boxes and their skins. With these capabilities, the Aviation Group serves the world’s largest aerospace companies. IAI’s LAHAV Aero-Structures Division is a center of excellence for the design and production of metallic and composite aerostructures, using the most advanced technologies.