Lockheed F-35 general manager retiring

Feb. 2, 2013 by Dave Majumdar – FG

Washington DC - Lockheed Martin's F-35 general manager Tom Burbage is retiring after 13 years on the job.

"After 32 years of working with Lockheed Martin and legacy divisions, Tom Burbage has decided to retire," Lockheed says. "His impact to the F-35 program and other areas of aeronautics is immeasurable."

Burbage will continue to work on the F-35 programme until the end of March until the company picks a successor. "We will finalize our plans on how to backfill his role as his retirement date gets closer," Lockheed says.

Burbage joined Lockheed in 1980 after 11 years as a naval aviator. After working in business development, he eventually came to manage the F-22 Raptor programme in 1995. In 1999 he became president of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Marietta, Georgia.

Burbage was later appointed executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 programme in August 2000, where he currently remains. His main role in recent years has been to manage relations with the eight F-35 foreign partners.

A number of Lockheed executives have announced their retirements in recent weeks after the ascension of Maryllin Hewson as the company's chief executive officer on 1 Jan.