GKN Aerospace Receives Order to Increase Production of F-35 Bulkheads

    July 17, 2018
    They signed a contract to increase production of bulkheads for the F-35 Lightning II program through 2023.
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    GKN Aerospace and Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) are expanding a longtime customer partnership by signing a contract to increase production of bulkheads for the F-35 Lightning II program through 2023. The bulkheads are a critical structure for the conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) and carrier variants (CV). They require among the longest lead time of any F-35 part and are made from some of the largest titanium forgings of any aircraft.

    The four year contract is another milestone in a long-term business relationship between GKN Aerospace and Lockheed Martin. Today, GN Aerospace provides the F-35 with critical engine components, electrical wiring interconnection systems, the cockpit canopy and advanced composite aerostructures. It also holds contracts to deliver the in-flight opening doors and the landing gear drag brace, and maintains and services the landing gear for the F-35 fleet in Europe and the Pacific.

     Mike McCann, CEO of GKN Aerostructures and Systems, North America, comments: “GKN has a strong relationship with Lockheed Martin and a history of partnering with them to support the F-35 program and the warfighter effort. Our dedicated employees worked very hard to demonstrate that GKN has a proven ability to deliver high-quality parts on time. In addition, collaborative engineering efforts between GKN Aerospace and Lockheed Martin enabled us to maximize efficiencies to help reduce unit prices within the contract and support cost reductions.”

    The contract will be fulfilled at the GKN Aerospace Monitor Inc. facility in Amityville, New York and the GKN Aerospace Precision Machining, Inc. facility in Wellington, Kansas. GKN Aerospace – Monitor and Precision Machining, Inc. serve as a premier supplier of complex titanium and aluminum airframe components and assemblies for commercial and defense customers. 
    To learn more about the GKN technology on board the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, check out this video here.

    Editor’s Notes:

    GKN Aerospace is the world’s leading multi-technology tier 1 aerospace supplier. As a global company serving the world’s leading aircraft manufacturers, GKN Aerospace develops, builds and supplies an extensive range of advanced aerospace systems, components and technologies– for use in aircraft ranging from helicopters and business jets to the most used single aisle aircraft and the largest passenger planes in the world. Light weight composites, additive manufacturing, innovative engine systems and smart transparencies help to reduce emissions and weight on the aircraft and enhance passenger comfort. GKN Aerospace is market leading in aerostructures, engine systems, transparencies and wiring systems and operates in 14 countries at 51 locations employing approximately 17,000 people.