Western-Sydney based Quickstep has picked up more work in the global F-35 program.
Quickstep has been awarded 10 new composite parts in support of the JSF, with the news coming just weeks after Prime Minister Scott Morrison opened an expansion of the company’s Bankstown facility.
This work on the centre fuselage is in addition to the 35 unique components Quickstep already supply into the global F-35 JSF program, and is expected to add an additional $3-4 million in annual revenue at full rate production.
Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price recently returned from the US visiting Lockheed Martin and their F-35 partner Northrop Grumman to advocate for more Australian involvement in the global F-35 program.
“I knocked on the doors of the Pentagon, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman to fight for more Australian F-35 work,” Minister Price said. “This is a great start, but I will continue to advocate for more Australian work.
“This assignment is a testament to Quickstep’s invaluable work in the Australian defence industry and its export success. There is currently US$250,000 worth of Australian Quickstep equipment on every F-35 JSF globally."
Quickstep won the 2018 NSW Defence Industries Exporter of the Year and is also in discussions with General Atomics (GA) to participate in Australia’s future Reaper drone program. The company’s ability to offer GA a low-cost solution for Reaper, however, depends on whether GA offers Quickstep a sufficiently high-volume global contract.
“We don’t want it just for the Australian fleet,” CEO Mark Burgess said. “We’d rather have a smaller work statement for global supply than a bigger work statement just for the Australian fleet. It’s economies of scale."