The IAL began operations in 2011 and has since enabled the delivery of over 1,400 centre fuselages for the F-35 programme. Northrop Grumman is a principal partner on the F-35 industry team, which is responsible for the development, production and sustainment of this fifth-generation multirole fighter.
The centre fuselage is a major airframe component for each of the three F-35 variants and incorporates a bifurcated inlet system. It also forms a significant part of the aircraft’s internal weapons bay and internal fuel reservoir.
Northrop Grumman additionally produces the aircraft’s inflight operating doors, including the weapons bay doors and their drive systems. The IAL itself spans the size of a football field and comprises over 3,000 parts and up to 115 assembly positions.
Each centre fuselage takes approximately eight months to build, though the line completes one every 30 hours through its automated manufacturing process. The facility handles around 10 million parts annually by integrating human skill with machine precision.
In 2023, Northrop Grumman announced a partnership with Rheinmetall AG to establish a second IAL in Weeze, Germany. Ground was broken for the new site in August of that year.
Beyond the centre fuselage, Northrop Grumman also produces the AN/APG-81 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a key part of the F-35’s sensor suite. The company provides communications subsystems, sustainment support for the EO/IR Distributed Aperture System (EODAS), and mission systems software.
Northrop Grumman is responsible for developing and maintaining low-observable technologies, as well as creating pilot and maintenance training system courseware. It also offers development and modification support for vehicle systems and country-specific production variants.
The company uses automated fibre placement and hand layup methods to produce composite airframe components including wing skins, inlet ducts, fairings and seal components. These capabilities support all F-35 variants — the conventional takeoff and landing (F-35A), short takeoff/vertical landing (F-35B), and carrier variant (F-35C).
