Friday, November 06, 2009

DTN News: Three Australian Firms Get Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Work

DTN News: Three Australian Firms Get Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Work *Source: DTN News / Int'l Media (NSI News Source Info) CANBERRA, Australia - November 6, 2009: Three more Australian firms have been awarded work under the Joint Strike Fighter program, Defence Minister Robert Hill and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources Warren Entsch announced today."The F-35's 5th generation capabilities, including Very Low Observable stealth, integrated sensor fusion, net-enabled operations and advanced sustainment, make it the premiere fighter of the future," said Stephen O’Bryan, vice president of F-35 Business Development and Customer Engagement. "The F-35 is the only multi-role fighter designed for survivability in the highest-threat environments, and it provides superior capability at comparable 4th generation fighter costs." Victorian-based Marand Precision Engineering Pty Ltd has won an order from Lockheed Martin for the design and manufacture of a JSF engine removal and installation trailer. The trailer is a complex piece of equipment designed to provide a stable platform for the safe installation, removal and maintenance of the multi-million dollar JSF engines. Marand is Australia’s longest operating privately owned aerospace tooling company, employing about 200 people at its Moorabbin plant. Lockheed Martin has confirmed that Marand is the first company in the world to receive a contract for the design and development of ground support equipment for the JSF. Calytrix Technologies, a Perth-based training and simulation software firm employing about 10 software engineers, has received an order from Lockheed Martin to develop a global interoperability architecture study for JSF training course materials. The study aims to identify any issues that may impact on JSF simulation interoperability and deployable training systems planning. Production Parts, a Victorian precision engineering firm employing some 60 people, has been awarded a contract by GE Aircraft Engines for the manufacture of complex aluminium components for the new generation JSF F136 engine which is being jointly developed by GE and Rolls Royce. The engine is one of two being developed for the JSF aircraft. The GE contract with Production Parts is a significant achievement in that it will allow Australian industry to participate in the development of a state-of-the-art prototype jet engine through the manufacture and supply of components for the first prototype engine. These orders take to five the number of Australian companies selected to work so far on the 10-year System Development and Demonstration phase of the JSF program. The series of recent wins by Australian companies demonstrates the benefits of the strategic partnerships that have formed between the Government and industry to secure JSF contracts. It is a real achievement for small Australian private firms to be able to compete against international competition and win work on such a large multi-national military project. While not large contracts in themselves, they are a significant breakthrough in the context of such a major global project. It is encouraging to see the Australian aerospace industry starting to see the benefits of the Government’s decision to invest in the JSF program. However, JSF is a tough international program and Australian firms will need to continue offering 'best value' solutions to Lockheed Martin and its partners. Ongoing involvement in this early phase of the program will help to build a competitive and sustainable aerospace industry base in Australia and will go a long way in helping Australian companies win contracts in subsequent production phases of the program.

No comments: