In the German town of Weeze, a defense facility has been completed where Rheinmetall will produce central fuselage sections for American stealth bombers F-35, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to Spiegel.
The facility is located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. According to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, production will begin in the coming days — “possibly even tomorrow.” The total cost of the project amounts to approximately €200 million.
The new plant will supply components to the American company Northrop Grumman, which previously manufactured these central fuselage sections in the United States. Each of these components consists of roughly 300,000 individual parts. As part of its Air Force modernization program, Germany has ordered 35 F-35 jets to replace its outdated Tornado fighter aircraft.
Under normal operations, the Weeze facility is expected to produce up to 30 central fuselage sections annually, with potential for expanded output. Papperger stated that the company aims to manufacture up to 36 of these core components each year for what he called the most versatile and powerful fighter jet in the world. He also expressed confidence that Germany would place additional orders.
The construction of the two-ton central fuselage section is a complex process that involves multiple technical preparations and manufacturing stages. The first completed section is scheduled to be delivered to the United States in the fall of 2026. There, the jet will be fully assembled from all components and gain its radar-evading capabilities.
Currently, the factory employs 200 workers. By the fall of 2026, that number is expected to grow to more than 400. Rheinmetall holds a framework agreement to manufacture 400 central fuselage sections for the F-35 over the course of the next 17 to 20 years.
Earlier we wrote that UK, Italy, and Japan join forces to build sixth-generation fighter jet.