Australian advanced materials company Quickstep Holdings (QHL) is pleased to announce that it has signed an MOU with global aerospace corporations Lockheed Martin Corporation and Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation intended to secure in excess of $700 million worth of potential contracts to manufacture components for the new multi-nation Joint Strike Fighter. The JSF is an advanced composite 5th generation fighter, which represents a quantum leap in technology and capability. The Australian Federal Government is planning to acquire up to 100 of the aircraft and has been highly instrumental in generating this opportunity for Australian industry. Securing the contract would position Quickstep at the technology forefront of the global composites industry.
The MOU signed by Quickstep, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman paves the way for the parties to work together to finalise an LTA for Quickstep to supply 19,325 composite doors and access panels. These parts will all be exported to the United States for incorporation into the Joint Strike Fighters globally. Quickstep hopes to complete the LTA by March 2010. Under the contract Quickstep may supply up to 21 different components under the LTA. The parts include lower side skins, maintenance access panels, F2 fuel tank cover, lower skin and in-board weapons bay doors. The potential manufacturing contract under the LTA is planned to last between 20 and 30 years and could generate annual turnover of $50 million by 2015.
Quickstep Managing Director Philippe Odouard said the MOU was a major milestone in the transformation of Quickstep because it opened the door to not only a substantial JSF contract, but also to other potential defence and aerospace contracts, further validating the time and investment Quickstep has put into preparing its production facility over the past 3 years. “The potential value of the LTA to Quickstep and to Australia cannot be overstated,” Mr Odouard said. “As well as generating hundreds of millions of dollars in export revenue, the LTA could lead to world-class training pportunities in the highly advanced industry of aerospace composites.
Quickstep is an Australian-based company which is at the forefront of advanced materials manufacturing and technology transfer for the global aerospace and defence industries. It has significant capabilities and expertise in the production of aerospace-grade composite components using both conventional autoclave-based manufacturing and leading edge out-of-autoclave production technologies, including its proprietary Quickstep Process. It has established strong working relationships with several major aerospace groups and Tier OneOriginal Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to the aerospace and defence sectors, and is also pursuing a range of commercial opportunities through its global network of subsidiaries (located in Dayton, Ohio; and Munich, Germany), as well as through Alliances with Universities (Manchester, UK and Geelong, Victoria, Australia) and a number of Teaming Arrangements.
Tags: Manufacturing, New contracts, QHL, Quickstep Holdings
