Maintaining and servicing landing gear for the European and Pacific F-35 fleets
On 7 November, the Dutch Ministry of Defence announced that Fokker Technologies, a unit of GKN Aerospace, has been selected to maintain and service landing gear for the European and Pacific F-35 fleets. The F-35 Joint Program Office also announced the allocation of responsibility for landing gear maintenance to the Netherlands. The work has a potential value running to millions of Euros and will create sustainable technically skilled jobs over time, according to the company.
The contract covers maintenance of wheels, brakes and shock strut assemblies starting in 2021. Fokker Technologies has considerable experience in this area, having maintained landing gear systems for the F-16 and NH90, for example. The business has also been involved in design and fabrication of the F-35 arresting gear and the development of the aircraft’s composite landing gear drag brace.