Four-year Agreement Covers Conventional and Carrier Variants

GKN Aerospace and Lockheed Martin are extending a long-time partnership by signing a contract to increase production of bulkheads for the F-35 LIGHTNING II aircraft. The four-year agreement, starting in 2018, extends production of bulkheads for the F-35 Conventional Take-off and Landing (CTOL) and Carrier Variants (CV).

The contract is another milestone in a long-term business relationship between the two companies. Today, GKN 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.

The bulkheads are a critical structure for both variants and are made from some of the largest titanium forgings of any aircraft. They require among the longest lead time of any F-35 part.

“GKN has a strong relationship with Lockheed Martin and a history of partnering with them to support the F-35 programme 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 maximise efficiencies to help reduce unit prices within the contract and support cost reductions,” observed GKN Aerostructures & Systems North America CEO, Mike McCann.