Success of F-35 jet fuels global security, local jobs

From VIRTUALLY all vantage points, the new Fifth Generation F-35 Lightning jet fighter soars as a critical cog in the military defenses of this nation and of the Western world.

That stealth supersonic aircraft also rises as a critical cog in the Mahoning Valley’s economy, fueling employment for some 650 workers at the Arconic plant in Niles who cast titanium for all of its models.

As such, Valley residents and their representatives in Congress – regardless of political stripes – should embrace efforts to maximize its production and expanded use in protecting the security of the U.S. and the world.

Lockheed Martin, one of the world’s largest aerospace, defense, security and advanced technology companies based in Bethesda, Md., brought an F-35 simulator to the Niles plant earlier this month to the wows of a group of local, state and federal government leaders.

“The technology in it is incredible,” exclaimed U. S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, as he safely landed the simulated jet fighter. The Valley’s congressman is not just whistling Dixie.

U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis has called the F-35 program that provides service for the Navy, Air Force and Marines the most lethal and versatile aircraft of the modern era and “critical” for U.S. air superiority.

Similarly, Lt. Gen. Mark D. Shackelford has said the F-35 is this nation’s “premier surface-to-air-missile killer and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques and advanced target recognition.”

Is it any wonder then that orders for the aircraft are piling up at a rapid-fire pace? In fact, the U.S. Defense Department plans to spend $391 billion in coming years to develop and buy 2,443 of the supersonic warplanes.

DEFENSE DOLLARS TO VALLEY

Those projections bode well for job security and growth for the jet’s suppliers, including the employees of Arconic, the former RTI and RMI Titanium Co. “We want to make sure that money is spent in the U.S. and in places like Niles, Ohio,” Ryan said.

Lockheed also is doing its part to better ensure our tax dollars are not squandered in any phase of the project. The aerospace giant responded to criticisms of President Donald J. Trump and others earlier this year over “out-of-control” spending for the F-35 by implementing production efficiencies and economies of scale.

As a result, Lockheed says it has cut $728 million from from its costs to fill its latest order of 90 F-35 jets for Defense.

That focus on efficiency serves as an added asset to the military supremacy of the F-35 and the full-throttle economic impact it wields in communities across the nation. With so much riding on it, all stakeholders should ensure the stealth warplane is one that flies for years and decades to come.