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The F-35 program will serve as the cornerstone of global security and will significantly impact the U.S. economy for many years to come. – Bob Rubino Director, U.S. Navy F-35 Program Lockheed Martin
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nomic impact across the state. Nationally, the F-35 program has suppliers in 45 states and provides more than 140,000 direct and indirect jobs. These employment and economic impact numbers will undergo huge increases as the program moves from its initial stages into full-rate production. “We believe the F-35 will strengthen our military, the economy and, most importantly, our local economy,” said Scott Still, Sargent’s president. What Critics Say
Opponents say the “short-term benefits’’ of the F-35 don’t outweigh the long-term cost to the environment. “It makes no sense to base the loudest, most powerful, unproven fighter jet at a commercial airport, already a designated Superfund site, surrounded by the densely populated cities of Tucson and South Tucson,” said a letter to the mayor and Tucson City Council from Tucson Forward and the Arizona Center for Law in the Public Interest, two groups opposed to deployment of the F-35 in Tucson. Rubino, however, provided global security and economic justification for the F-35 during his visit to Sargent. He said emerging battlefield threats are making current military fighter jets obsolete. One of those threats is surface-to-air missiles, which he said are becoming extremely sophisticated and are increasingly being used to deny access to critically important air space. Rubino said the F-35 can penetrate even missile-guarded air spaces because it has stealth capability. Keeping Troops Safe
The F-35’s shape, embedded antennas, aligned edges, internal weapons and fuel, and special coatings all contribute to the aircraft’s stealth capability. “The F-35 is an information sponge,” Rubino added. “It absorbs and sees everything that is going on around the aircraft in the battle-space environment. And that’s important because it helps the pilot, our men and women in uniform, to have better situational awareness of what is going on around them so they can better execute their mission and have better survivability.” When it comes to establishing air superiority during wartime, most Americans want the United States to have a clearcut technological advantage, which is what the F-35 provides, Rubino said. continued on page 138 >>> www.BizTucson.com
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