The first F-35A Lightning II to be fitted with vertical tails manufactured by the Australian engineering company Marand, was flown for the first time on 17 July 2015. The aircraft (US Air Force serial number 13-5067) was flown by Lockheed Martin Chief Test Pilot Alan Norman. The sortie lasted eighty-four minutes. The F-35 vertical tails work is contracted to Marand by BAE Systems. This is one of the largest manufacturing projects for the Australian F-35 program, with 722 shipsets planned. The aircraft will be assigned to the 16th Weapons Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
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