Rheinmetall plans to produce at least 400 center fuselage sections for the F-35 fighter jet from Lockheed Martin at its new plant in Weeze. Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman at its new plant in Weeze. Production is scheduled to start in July 2025 – the first parts have now been delivered from the USA.
According to Rheinmetall, heavy transports from the USA have been arriving at the new plant next to Weeze Airport in North Rhine-Westphalia since January – around 35 so far. The parts are packed in packages of around five tons each.
The German armaments group put the investment sum in the new plant at “more than 100 million euros” at the ground-breaking ceremony. The aim is to create a production facility “at the cutting edge of technology”, according to the statement. The new production plant is technologically similar to the one used by Northrop Grumman for the production of F-35 fuselage center sections in Palmdale, California.
In total, up to 185 center sections per year will roll off the production line in both plants.
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