Air Force Plant 4 / Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (Fort Worth,Texas)

USA / Texas / Lake Worth / Fort Worth,Texas
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Lockheed Boulevard
Fort Worth, TX 76108
(817) 777-2000
www.lockheedmartin.com/aeronautics/
LM-Aero.


Air Force Plant 4, the home of Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems, officially began operations on April 18, 1942.
Air Force Plant 4's mile-long production line has rolled out more than 7,000 outstanding military aircraft and provided jobs for more than 250,000 people.
Current products include the F-16, one-third of the F-22, components of Japan's F-2 fighter and development of the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter.

Today, Air Force Plant 4 is the center of Lockheed Martin's "Fighter Enterprise." The facility has been designated to lead all of the corporation's future fighter programs, beginning with the Joint Strike Fighter.
The day the plant opened in 1942 coincided with the first Army Air Corps bombing raid, led by Col. Jimmy Doolittle, against Tokyo during World War II.
Construction of the huge plant was completed in less than a year.
Assembly of the first B-24 Liberator bomber for the Army Air Corps began in February 1942 while parts of the facility were still under construction.

Women comprised a third of the plant's work force in the war years, which eventually saw production of 3,034 B-24s in Fort Worth. In the latter part of the war, the plant began producing another bomber, the B-32 Dominator, and rolled out 114 before the Japanese surrender.

The facility's next product, and the first for the U.S. Air Force, was the B-36 Peacemaker, the world's first true intercontinental bomber, of which 385 were delivered in the late '40s and early '50s.

Next came the B-58 Hustler, the world's first supersonic bomber, which was a harbinger of the advanced-technology aircraft the facility produces today. A total of 116 B-58s were built at Air Force Plant 4 in the late '50s and early '60s. The facility's next product was the F-lll, of which 562 were produced. The F-111 was the world's first swing-wing aircraft.


Air Force Plant 4 has been operated by Lockheed Martin, Lockheed, General Dynamics, Consolidated Vultee and Consolidated Aircraft Corp. during its history. Today the plant has about 12,000 total employees, including Lockheed Martin and contractor personnel.

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Coordinates:   32°46'23"N   97°26'57"W

Comments

  • The plant has been operated by Consolidated Vultee, Convair, General Dynamics, and now Lockheed Martin. Aircraft manufactured at this plant throughout its history include the B-24 Liberator, B-36 Peacemaker, B-58 Hustler, F-111 Aardvark and the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Production will begin soon on the bulk of the F-35 Lightning II (JSF).
  • ... and don't forget the F-22 Raptor.
  • The F-22 is made in Marietta, Georgia, not Ft. Worth.
  • The midfuselage of F-22 is made in Fort Worth. F-22 final assembly takes place in Marietta, Georgia.
  • I like the way first commentator said 7 years ago -"Production will begin soon"....
This article was last modified 13 years ago