NEW YORK—Four of the nation’s largest manufacturers—General Electric Co., Alcoa Inc., Boeing Co. and Lockheed-Martin Corp.—have launched an initiative to teach manufacturing skills to 15,000 veterans, who would then be hired by the four companies or matched to other jobs.

FORT WORTH, TX—Lockheed has reached a tentative deal with a union that has been on strike for eight weeks at the defense contractor’s assembly plant here.

WASHINGTON—The rate of scrap, rework and repair on production of Lockheed’s F-35 fighter jet is currently around 16 percent, higher than on other military aircraft programs at similar stages of production, says the Pentagon.

FORT WORTH, TX—Lockheed Martin is hiring temporary workers for its aircraft assembly plant here to replace striking Machinists’ union members.

FORT WORTH, TX—Some 3,600 machinists at Lockheed’s assembly plant here went on strike Sunday over higher insurance costs.

PALMDALE, CA—Northrop Grumman Corp. has delivered the first F-35 center fuselage produced by its Integrated Assembly Line (IAL). The IAL maximizes robotics and automation, providing additional capacity and assembly capability while meeting engineering tolerances that are not easily achieved using manual methods.

LITTLETON, CO—Lockheed Martin’s new assembly plant to build the next generation of Global Positioning System satellites will draw upon some Hollywood magic: 3D glasses and virtual reality.

PINELLAS PARK, FL—Lockheed Martin has opened a new assembly plant here to produce aircraft canopy components for the F-35 fighter.