Northrop Grumman Corp. has started using a new assembly line in Palmdale for making the fuselage of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The assembly line is based on the automated systems used by automakers and makes the process more streamlined and efficient, company officials said. “The (integrated assembly line) will be the key factor in the future production of this aircraft,” said Mark Tucker, vice president for the F-35 program. The assembly line includes automatic assembly tool systems, transportation systems and manufacturing systems, all controlled centrally and wirelessly by a factory communications system. Northrop Grumman makes the center fuselage for the three variants of the F-35, which are assembled by Lockheed Martin in Texas. Mark R. Madler