Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Australia's Quickstep gets more JSF work
Flight Global ^ | 2/4/2011 | Greg Wadron

Posted on 02/04/2011 2:56:59 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

Australia's Quickstep Technologies has signed a long-term agreement with Northrop Grumman to produce parts for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

Under the deal the Australian aerospace manufacturing firm will make access panels, fuel tank covers, aircraft skins, and in-board weapons bay doors, says Australia's minister for defence materiel Jason Clare.

Quickstep has also signed a memorandum of understanding with another Australian company, Marand Precision Engineering, to supply vertical tail skins for the JSF.

The agreement positions Quickstep to secure up to A$580 million ($587 million) in F-35 work over the next 20 years and provide 400 jobs, says Clare, who recently signed a 'global supply deed' with Lockheed.

"Under the agreement Lockheed Martin will put in place a team of people dedicated to finding opportunities for Australian companies on top of the JSF project," he says.

"They are in charge of some big and important projects around the world and this gives Australian companies access to the work that flows out of that," says Clare. "It's a chance for Australian companies to take their expertise to the world."

In May 2010, the then minister for defence materiel, Greg Combet, called on Lockheed to give Australian firms a larger share of the F-35 programme. At the time he said that 28 Australian companies had won work on the programme valued at more than A$200 million, primarily during the initial design and production of test aircraft.

Combet also said that progress in securing additional work had been "slower than expected" in some areas.

(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: aerospace; australia; f35; jsf

1 posted on 02/04/2011 2:57:02 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

Why don’t they just issue the checks and bypass the middleman meaningless exercise in producing an anvil that will never be deployed?


2 posted on 02/04/2011 3:00:50 PM PST by freedumb2003 (The TOTUS-reader is a Judas Goat, leading the American sheeple to the slaugherhouse /Parmy)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: freedumb2003

This is part of the outsorcing in keeping the cost of the planes down to a resonable price


3 posted on 02/04/2011 3:04:00 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
Well, the outsourcing doesn't really cut down the price. LockMart could build, or have built, the parts domestically for roughly the same price.

The chief cost-cutting benefit of outsourcing is risk-sharing. The supplier absorbs the cost of tooling-up and development, then getting paid at an inflated rate once they begin delivering pieces. This greatly reduces the high development costs to the airframer on the front end, and is made up during actual production run.

However, it does NOT reduce the end cost at all.

The greatest reason for outsourcing, however, is allowing politicians in the outsourced country to buy the aircraft while telling their voters "it's bringing new jobs to our country, in addition to being the greatest military acquisition ever." I suspect this is the case here.

4 posted on 02/04/2011 3:58:38 PM PST by diogenes ghost
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: ErnstStavroBlofeld
Australia's Quickstep Technologies has signed a long-term agreement with Northrop Grumman to produce parts for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

My big question is why does Northrup Grumman have the authority to award contract work on an aircraft that they had absolutely NOTHING to do with developing! Northrup Grumman's horrible design was soundly defeated in the competition for this contract!

5 posted on 02/04/2011 6:21:04 PM PST by Antoninus II
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Antoninus II

Australia is part of the JSF development team.


6 posted on 02/04/2011 6:33:18 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: James C. Bennett

Ping


7 posted on 02/04/2011 9:32:16 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson