From The Archives: The JSF Decision 25 Years Ago In Aviation Week

When the Pentagon announced Lockheed Martin’s landmark Joint Strike Fighter win over Boeing on Oct. 26, 2001, the editors of Aviation Week & Space Technology were faced with a conundrum, as the mammoth contract was announced a day after the magazine traditionally went to press. 

As the editors wrote at the time: “Then, Senior Pentagon Editor Robert Wall suggested the obvious, but extraordinary, solution—delay printing of the magazine by a day. 

“That would require rearranging multiple work schedules at sites in several states, but clearly it was worth doing to get the news and analysis of the Joint Strike Fighter downselect to readers as quickly as possible. 

“To be prepared for any eventuality, the Art Dept. designed alternate covers, one showing Boeing's version of the aircraft (left) and the other Lockheed Martin's, which featured a multiple-exposure photo by Eric Schulzinger and Denny Lombard showing the X-35B landing at Edwards AFB, California.

“And what if the JSF announcement had been deferred at the last minute? We were ready with the right-hand cover keyed to Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum's first-hand account of a C-17 humanitarian aid flight over Afghanistan (see p. 34).”

Read the full issue dated October 29, 2001. 

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