Global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin formally opened its new manufacturing facility in Pinellas Park, Florida. The company will create more than 80 new jobs by mid-2019.

The company currently employs approximately 270 people at the Pinellas Park operation. The new facility will assemble canopies and bulkheads for the F-35 Lightning II program. These new jobs are in addition to the 30 Lockheed Martin jobs added late last year to support the increasing F-35 production rate. The facility is expected to be operational by mid-May.

The expanded work is a result of the rapid growth of the F-35 production program. The facility, located in Pinellas County, adds 65,500 square feet of manufacturing and office space and is expected to begin delivering parts to the main F-35 production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, by mid-summer. In 2018 alone, the Pinellas facility will deliver more than 200 F-35 components to support production and sustainment of the growing F-35 fleet.

"This is an exciting day for us in Pinellas Park," said André Trotter, Program Director and General Manager of the Lockheed Martin Pinellas Park operation. "Continued growth and success of the F-35 program is vital to our national security. The hard-working men and women who produce critical components for the F-35 program are what make all of this possible."

"Keeping America safe and growing Florida's economy are intertwined," said U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist. "The Lockheed Martin Pinellas facility exemplifies that dynamic, a center of excellence for manufacturing in our own backyard. We're proud of the men and women who work here, producing key components for the most powerful fighter jet the world has ever seen. The F-35 protects U.S interests abroad while returning our pilots home safely."

Across Florida, Lockheed Martin operations employ about 14,400 people. In addition to the new jobs in Pinellas Park, Lockheed Martin recently announced an additional 500 jobs by the end of 2019 in Orlando. Work on the F-35 in Florida includes 97 businesses employing nearly 22,500 direct and indirect jobs.