BAE Systems Australia and Marand have signed a long-term agreement at the Avalon Airshow on the supply of vertical tails for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter - the largest, highest-value package of industrial work on the F-35 program in Australia.
The agreement is worth $790 million of high-technology export business for the aerospace industry in Australia over the life of the program, with subsequent contracts being let yearly.
BAE Systems Australia will machine the vertical tail titanium components in Adelaide.
Marand will be the in-country lead for the manufacture of the 722 vertical tail fins and will undertake final assembly of the titanium parts.
“The BAE Systems team and Marand have worked together successfully on the F-35 for the past four years including the last 18 months on the vertical tails,” BAE Systems group managing director, international Guy Griffiths said.
The Victorian company has now won $1.2 billion worth of work in the JSF program and hopes to build upon this success as more Low Rate Initial Production contracts become available.