Work paused at F-35 jet assembly facility in Japan due to coronavirus, Pentagon says
“In Japan, I believe they shut down the FACO for a week”
FILE PHOTO: A real-size mock of F-35 fighter jet is displayed at Japan International Aerospace Exhibition in Tokyo, Japan November 28, 2018. REUTERS/Tim Kelly
Work at the F-35 fighter-jet factory in Japan has paused for a week due to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak, a US defense official said on Wednesday.
F-35 jets are made at a Lockheed Martin factory in Ft. Worth, Texas but allies assemble jets for themselves at two final assembly and check out facilities (FACO) in Japan and Italy.
"In Japan, I believe they shut down the FACO for a week," Ellen Lord, the Pentagon's top weapons buyer, told reporters on the sidelines of a defense conference in Washington.
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Still, deliveries were not impacted, Lord said.
At the F-35 plant in Italy, "Lockheed has directed their employees to work from home," Lord said.
A Lockheed Martin representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
