The Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos traveled on Wednesday July 20, 2022 from Washington to Fort Worth, Texas, United States, in order to visit the facilities of “Lockheed Martin” and be informed in detail about the production processes and operational capabilities of the 5th generation fighter aircraft F-35.

Mr. Panagiotopoulos received a warm welcome from the Executive Vice President of Aeronautics, Mr. Gregory M. Ulmer (Gregory M. Ulmer)the Vice President of Business Development (VP Business Development Initiatives) Mr. Deni Plessa, the Vice President and General Manager of Aviation Programs (Vice President and GM Aeronautics Operations) K. Bridget Lauderdale (Bridget Lauderdale) and from top executives of “Lockheed Martin“. Participated in a briefing on the construction of 5th generation fighters F-35.

Afterwards, the Minister visited the production line of F-35 to the state-of-the-art Fort Worth facility to learn about the manufacturing and supply chain support processes for the manufacturing of the fighters F-35, but also the evolving delivery schedules. He was also in the shelters where the new fighters are tested and received a full briefing from the test pilot Mr. Chris Spinelli (Chris Spinelli) on the technical and operational characteristics of the aircraft.