F-35 event highlights aviation future in eastern North Carolina
Local, state, federal and industry leaders gathered Wednesday at the Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence at Lenoir Community College to highlight North Carolina’s growing role in aerospace, defense and workforce development.
The event featured an F-35 Lightning II cockpit demonstrator from Lockheed Martin, giving media and guests a chance to experience a simulation of the advanced fighter aircraft.
“We are thrilled to have you here today,” Lenoir Community College President Dr. Rusty Hunt said. “We are really proud of the work we’re doing in aviation collectively as a community college system, certainly here at Lenoir Community College. You are in the middle of the aviation corridor here.”
Jeremy Stroud, executive director of the North Carolina Global TransPark, said the park is home to a growing aviation ecosystem supported by workforce training, aircraft maintenance, military partners and private industry.
Chauncey McIntosh, vice president and general manager of the F-35 Lightning II Program at Lockheed Martin, said the location was fitting for the event.
“It’s institutions like this that fuel, empower and develop people to go out and do innovation,” McIntosh said.
McIntosh said Lockheed Martin was “ecstatic to be here today in eastern North Carolina,” citing the region’s connection to the defense industry and military service.
“The DNA, the footprint, the fiber of this community is what draws us here,” McIntosh said.
Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt said aerospace and defense investments create opportunities for students and families across the region.
“Just think, if you’re a student at this community college, how great your future will be working in the aviation industry and making a lot of money so you can support your family and you can stay in eastern North Carolina,” Hunt said.
She added that eastern North Carolina has the potential to become a national leader in aviation and aerospace.
U.S. Rep. Don Davis connected the event to North Carolina’s history and the region’s future.
“We were, by the way, first in freedom,” Davis said. “Let’s fast forward, we’re also first in flight.”
Davis said the partnership between Lockheed Martin, Lenoir Community College and eastern North Carolina is about jobs, economic impact and national defense.
“This is about the economic impact of jobs,” Davis said. “This is about truly protecting the American people and how we’re able to do that in eastern North Carolina.”
According to Lockheed Martin, the F-35 program generates more than $613 million annually for North Carolina’s economy and supports more than 4,600 jobs across the state. The company said 23 North Carolina suppliers produce components for the aircraft.
More than 1,340 F-35s have been delivered worldwide, and the fleet has surpassed 1 million flight hours, according to the company. The aircraft operates across 55 current activations worldwide, supporting the U.S. military and allied forces.
