First pictures of a major assembly milestone for Boeing's X-32 Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstrator were revealed at Paris yesterday.
A small team of mechanics positioned and mated all of the attachment points between the single-piece wing and the fuselage.
The assembly took less than 6h and the components were said to have just "snapped together".
Frank Statkus, Boeing vice-president and JSF general manager says this reflects the programme's commitment to lean design and manufacturing.
"The X-32 is meeting its weight targets, meeting its schedule targets and meeting its cost targets. Overall fabrication and assembly costs for example, remain at 30-40% below projections," says Statkus.
Source: Flight Daily News
