Marand delivers 50th vertical tail for JSF program

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Image credit: www.baesystems.com

Marand Precision Engineering has successfully delivered theĀ 50th vertical tail in support of the global F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program.

The work on the F-35 vertical tails, which was subcontracted to Marand by BAE Systems, is one of the largest planned manufacturing projects for the F-35 in Australia.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne congratulated the Victorian based company on the achievement.

ā€œThrough its partnership with BAE Systems PLC, and with the support of its Australian and European supply chain, Marand has delivered its 50 Conventional Take-Off and Landing Vertical Tails all to schedule and without a single customer quality issue,ā€ the Minister said.

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ā€œThis is an outstanding achievement and typifies the significance of Australian defence industry’s involvement in the global F-35 Program – Australian industry has been collectively awarded over $1 billion in production contracts to date.ā€

Marand, which has been involved in the F-35 Program since 2002, last year delivered more than 1,700 titanium parts into the F-35 program and currently produces 300 components for the F-35 vertical tail.

Mr Pyne said the company was now an established supplier of F-35 Vertical Tails, with Australian-produced tails on the aircraft of several Partner Nations, including Australia.

ā€œIn what was a major milestone for the Australian F-35A Project, an Australian-made Vertical Tail – produced by Marand – was fitted to Australia’s third F-35A aircraft as it neared completion at Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, in August 2017,ā€ the Minister concluded.

Image credit: www.baesystems.com
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