Rheinmetall is preparing to produce center fuselage sections for F-35A

The German company Rheinmetall is preparing to produce center fuselage sections for F-35A fighter jets. Rheinmetall announced this on the company's official page. The company has started training personnel as part of a program to prepare its facilities for participation in the production of components for F-35A fighter jets.

The production is planned to be organized in Weeze at AERO-Bildungs GmbH.

An F-35A fighter jet of the US Air Force. Photo credits: US Air Force

Currently, this enterprise is a partner of the American company Northrop Grumman, which also helps train personnel for their basic technical training. It should be noted that the local defense industry is seeking to increase its share in this project as part of the German Ministry of Defense's purchase of F-35A fighter jets.

AERO-Bildungs GmbH began operations in April 2024, enabling Germany to quickly deploy capabilities to participate in the F-35A program. In 2023, Northrop Grumman placed an order with Rheinmetall to produce more than 400 center fuselage sections.

Assembly of the F-35A Lightning II. August 2020. Photo credits: Danish Ministry of Defense

This became possible because this type of fighter jet was ordered for the German Air Force as part of the Panavia Tornado strike aircraft replacement program.

First of all, this was due to the fact that the F-35A fighter jet was certified to use nuclear weapons.

Militarnyi previously reported that the F-35A multirole fighter jet received certification to carry a B61-12 nuclear bomb.

Officially, some F-35As will now be able to carry the B61-12, making the fighter a dual-use aircraft that can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons.