ATK [ATK] has received a contract in excess of $240 million from Lockheed Martin [LMT] to produce additional composite components for low-rate initial production (LRIP) lots 4-8 of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
Under the terms of the contract, ATK will use advanced fiber-placement technology to provide upper wing-box skins, lower wing-box skins and engine nacelle skins for the conventional take-off and landing (CTOL), and short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variants of the F-35, which will be flown by Air Force and Marine Corps pilots, respectively. Production will take place at ATK’s Clearfield, Utah, facility through 2015.
Separately, the company announced that it has further expanded its work on the F-35. ATK has received a new $10 million contract from Northrop Grumman [NOC] to manufacture composite inlet ducts for the airplane. Northrop Grumman is the design authority and primary producer of the inlet ducts and has contracted ATK as a second source supplier. ATK will begin manufacturing the parts during the upcoming LRIP 4 phase of the program, with deliveries occurring through mid-2011. The follow-on, full-scale production phase of the contract is potentially worth an additional $40 million, according to ATK. Production of the inlet ducts will take place at the company’s facility in Rocket Center, WVa.
“The F-35 is a cornerstone of ATK’s growth strategy for our aerospace structures business. … [O]ur Aerospace Structures business is well positioned to become one of ATK’s growth engines,” said Mark DeYoung, the company’s chief executive.
ATK pioneered the automated fiber placement process in the early 1980s and is an industry leader in the production of fiber-placed aerospace structures.