2nd F-35 set to fly this month

Sometime in the next few weeks, a test pilot will push the throttle forward, and the second F-35 Lightning II test aircraft will make its maiden flight, a major milestone for the $298 billion fighter-jet development program.

"We're working toward a late May [flight] date," said Dan Crowley, Lockheed Martin executive vice president over F-35 development and production.

"There's nothing we've identified that would be a barrier to that. At the same time, I've given the team a mid-June target to give them time to recover from any last-minute issues that arise."

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