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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth just visited Fort Worth to recognize the workers on the F-35 assembly line at Lockheed Martin’s Air Force Plant 4. As CEO of Fort Worth-based Goff Aerospace, a supplier to the F-35 program, I watched this “Arsenal of Freedom” tour with pride.
Kyle Smith
The visit drew attention to what Fort Worth has long represented: an industrial city that delivers economic growth day in and day out and makes a significant contribution to our country’s national security.
Fort Worth’s aerospace legacy is deeply linked to our nation’s defense capabilities, spanning from the early days of aviation to the B-24 Liberators that rolled out during World War II. Throughout our nation’s history, this community has answered the call to be the backbone of U.S. and allied airpower.
The F-35 is the newest piece of this legacy. As Secretary of War Pete Hegseth put it during his visit to Fort Worth, “reestablishing deterrence … is something this airframe has been involved in from the beginning of this administration and for long before that as well.”
The F-35 story is not just a single factory or prime manufacturer, but a vast, interconnected supply chain made up of more than 1,900 American businesses that form the industrial muscle behind the aircraft. In Texas alone, more than 100 companies like ours support the F-35 program, sustaining tens of thousands of high-skilled jobs and generating nearly $10 billion in economic activity.
Secretary Hegseth said, “If you want American strength, you better have American manufacturing — and it better be world class. And of course, it is in this country — when we unleash our companies, when we unleash industry, when we unleash our competitive spirit, America will come out on top.”
Goff Aerospace is proud to be one of those companies. Headquartered in Fort Worth, with facilities across the U.S., hundreds of our American workers manufacture everything from bulkheads and wing structures to critical fluid and air-handling components that keep the F-35 production line running. These are precision parts that directly shape the performance and reliability of the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world.
Just as importantly, we are investing for the future. The F-35 is now being produced at a pace five times faster than any other allied fighter currently on the market. One of the F-35 program’s biggest strengths remains its ability to meet consistent, long-term demand.
In Decatur, Goff Aerospace has planned a 127,000-square-foot facility designed specifically to support defense manufacturing as contracts and funding come online. We have launched new in-house capabilities in metal finishing and non-destructive testing to address one of the biggest pain points facing the aerospace industrial base: long turnaround times. Leveraging technology and mechanical automation alongside next-generation manufacturing design, we can cut weeks off production timelines and strengthen the resilience of the entire supply chain. Our investments reflect confidence in the F-35’s global demand, in Fort Worth’s workforce, and in the long-term value of advanced manufacturing in the United States.
The F-35 is an economic engine and a growing commercial ecosystem. As more partner nations commit to the platform, Fort Worth grows as the center of a global manufacturing and sustainment enterprise which strengthens interoperability, reinforces alliances, and contributes to stability in an increasingly uncertain world. Every jet delivered reflects the work of American suppliers supporting both U.S. warfighters and allied forces abroad.
Programs like the F-35 succeed when industry and government act in a coordinated fashion. Suppliers are investing, hiring, and modernizing to meet demand. What industry at all levels needs in return from the government is sustained, predictable support that allows the supply chain to plan responsibly, scale efficiently, and continue delivering at the pace the mission requires.
Fort Worth has earned its reputation as the Aviation and Defense Capital of Texas. Protecting that legacy means recognizing the F-35 not only as a cornerstone of national defense, but as a proven driver of jobs, innovation, and long-term economic growth.
The F-35 is the most advanced, connected, and lethal fighter aircraft in production today, enabling pilots to complete difficult missions successfully and return home safely. In an era where adversaries are rapidly advancing their own technology, the unmatched connectivity and stealth the F-35 provides to our warfighters is more crucial than ever.
When America invests in the F-35 program, we support a key pillar in the Arsenal of Freedom. That investment strengthens the people and communities in places like Fort Worth, and an aerospace future that remains proudly built in Texas.
Kyle Smith is the CEO of Goff Aerospace.