#fokker #F35 #engineering #aerospace Fokker Aerostructures has expanded Dutch industrial participation in the F-35 aircraft programme by signing two more contracts (valued at 60 million euros) with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman for the three F-35 variants — conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) and carrier variant (CV).
The contracts are for the delivery of innovative composite structures including ‘flaperons’, outer leading-edge flaps and in-flight opening doors for the next batch of 73 F-35 aircraft. This order will guarantee work at the Fokker Hoogeveen site up to 2016.
Hans Büthker, president of Fokker Aero-structures, said: “After 50 F-35 aircraft have been delivered and with over 80 F-35s aircraft currently in production, it’s encouraging to see that Fokker has once more been selected to deliver innovative products for the next batch of 73 aircraft.”
“With a total estimated production of more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft, this is a major opportunity for our company in the decades to come in terms of employment and participation in the most technologically advanced aircraft programme.”
Fokker has 4,950 employees world-wide — in the Netherlands, Romania, Turkey, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Singapore and China.