Chapter 1692 Lockheed Martin is desperate

At the same time, on the other side of the world, at Plant 4 in Fort Worth, Texas, the scene was quite different.

Thomas Elginbridge, head of Rolls-Royce's power division, wearing a white helmet, followed Chauncey McIntosh, deputy general manager of Lockheed Martin's JSF business unit, into the huge assembly workshop through a side door.

After showing their credentials, the two did not stay for long, but quickly walked up the narrow iron stairs and climbed to a three-story observation platform.

The view suddenly opens up, and the interior of the huge factory building covering more than one square kilometer is in full view.

In the field of vision, there are three rows of F35 fighter jets, which are so densely packed that it is almost impossible to see the end.

They are in different stages of production. The ones closest to the factory gate are nearing completion. Several workers are standing on the assembly jig, spraying stealth paint and necessary identification symbols on the aircraft.

"This is our 'mile-long final assembly line,' currently the largest two-way aircraft assembly line in the world."

Mackintosh held the railing with both hands, as if introducing Elginbridge next to him, but his eyes were not looking at the latter at all, but were cast unfocused into the distance.

But he didn't stop talking:

"The JSF program's initial batch 10 (LRIP-10) is currently in production. There are a total of 105 F-35s of different models undergoing final assembly here..."

"Our goal is to increase production capacity to an average of one aircraft every 30 hours, which translates to an annual output of 280 to 290 aircraft."

He added, as if reminding himself how ambitious this goal had once been—

At its peak, the Fort Worth plant could produce more than 10,000 aircraft annually, but that was during World War II.

As aviation technology continues to advance, the structure of aircraft and onboard equipment have become increasingly complex, and costs have soared.

Even Boeing or Airbus produce hundreds of passenger aircraft each year in multiple final assembly plants.

It can be said that in the second decade of the 21st century, producing nearly 300 aircraft annually, and fighter jets at that, is already a dream achievement.

You know, the air forces of most countries do not have a total of 300 fixed-wing aircraft.

Yet, neither Mackintosh, who was speaking, nor Elginbridge, who was listening, showed any trace of pride or excitement on their faces.

There was only heavy depression in the air.

After the brief introduction, Mackintosh fell silent, and Elginbridge also did not respond.

Only the industrial noise from the production line below filled the slightly awkward silence between the two.

After a few seconds of suffocating stalemate, McIntosh sighed softly and cast his gaze towards the row of planes on the far left.

At first glance, they appear to be no different from the F-35s at other workstations.

But if you look more closely, you will find that the aircraft here are all of a very high degree of completion. Some of them have even been sprayed with some operating signs and low-visibility paint, and seem to be ready for delivery from the factory at any time.

However, the fatal flaw was exposed at the end——

There was nothing there, without the iconic, thick tail nozzle of the F135 engine.

In other words, these are nearly forty empty steel shells without any heart installed.

They are like a forest of tombstones, neatly arranged next to the busy production line, looking out of place.

Mackintosh finally turned around and faced Elginbridge, his calm tone suppressing the anger that had been bubbling for a long time:

"Thomas, F-35B deliveries have been completely halted for over three months..."

Seeing that the latter still had no intention of responding, he continued:

"Every day, new parts are shipped here from all over the world. Every day, new airframes are formed on the assembly line... and then what? They are piled up here because there is a lack of the lift fan system required to produce the engine!"

His speech speed gradually increased, and his arms began to wave excitedly, first pointing at the empty shells, then at the occupied workstations below:

"Already, nearly 40% of the workstations are occupied by these empty shells. They are eroding the efficiency of the production line like a tumor. Now even the delivery of the F-35A has been delayed, and the test flight progress of the F-35C prototype is about to be crushed... If this continues, the entire Fort Worth plant will be completely shut down..."

These words seemed to be a complaint, but in fact they were directed at Elginbridge.

Because the lift fan of the F35B fighter is supplied by Rolls-Royce's power department.

However, due to well-known reasons, this core component can no longer be produced.

Faced with the accusations, Elginbridge showed no sign of guilt, but instead a hint of obvious sarcasm flashed across his face.

He shrugged, his tone half helpless and half sarcastic:

"Chauncey, you could consider towing these F-35B shells out and placing them on the tarmac outside. Once the lift fans are restored, you can tow them back and install the engines... It's just a space problem, there's always a way to solve it."

"Drag them out?! Dozens of empty F-35B hulls, piled on the tarmac in broad daylight? Do you think all the world's reconnaissance satellites are blind?"

McIntosh seemed to be provoked by something. He slammed the metal railing in front of him twice, making a dull thud. His voice trembled with anger as he spoke:

"Within a day, high-definition photos will appear on the headlines of major media outlets—things like 'Lockheed Martin's F-35B production line paralyzed,' 'JSF project in serious crisis,' and so on... The company's stock price, which has managed to hold up temporarily, will surely continue to plummet!"

"Also, the confidence of our allies and customers waiting to receive the F-35B will collapse in an instant!"

He took a deep breath and stabbed Elginbridge with his gaze like a knife:

"The root of all this, Thomas, is you, Rolls-Royce! You illegally used Chinese technology in the key components of the lift fan! This is what dragged the entire project into a quagmire!"

This layer of window paper was finally completely broken.

Seeing this, Elginbridge was no longer polite.

The indifference on his face disappeared, replaced by an aggressive counterattack posture.

"Director McIntosh, if there really were problems with those technologies, then Lockheed Martin, as the prime contractor, should have pointed them out years ago during the design review and subsystem acceptance, instead of waiting until now to shirk responsibility!"

"As for our allies...if you're referring to the UK and European countries, then with all due respect, their confidence in the JSF program has already plummeted and is unlikely to decline further...they haven't withdrawn simply because the sunk costs are too high."

Although it is said that sunk costs do not participate in major decisions.

But when the situation really comes to a head, it is not so easy to bear the pain and cut losses.

What's more, if we withdraw from JSF, the project will be declared a failure.

The resulting accountability issue is a slippery slope that cannot be touched at any cost.

Looking at McIntosh, whose lips turned white with anger, Elginbridge sneered and continued to finish him off:

"Besides, what you just said is nothing but self-deception... From what I know, the F-35A and F-35C also use a large number of key materials from China, and a considerable portion of them have been included in the 'melting pot' list. Now they can only be obtained piecemeal through some special channels that are not open to the public..."

"So, even if there weren't those empty F35B shells taking up workstations, the production capacity of the F35A and F35C would still plummet. Don't even think about putting all the blame on us, Rolls-Royce!"

The air between the two seemed to be frozen and filled with the smell of gunpowder.

Mackintosh's cheek muscles tightened, and Elginbridge returned his gaze without hesitation.

In fact, both of them ignored the elephant in the room——

It is precisely because of Washington's arrogance and unreasonableness that we are in such a dilemma today.