Login
iscover
A Victorian company has further cemented itself as a leading supplier to the F-35 program, opening an F-35A Lightning II Vertical Tail manufacturing facility.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne opened the new Marand Precision Engineering facility in Moorabbin, which is supported by a Department of Defence New Air Combat Capability Industry Support Program grant.
Minister Pyne said Marand, which recently finalised its expansion program to implement a fully integrated F-35A Vertical Tail manufacturing capability in Australia, will create an additional 44 full-time positions for Marand Precision Engineering, with flow on effects across the supply chain.
"Marand is now an established supplier of F-35A Vertical Tails, with Australian-produced tails on the aircraft of several F-35 partner nations," Minister Pyne said.
"Expected to generate a total of more than $1 billion in revenue over 20 years, Marand is a great example of the success Australian industry is experiencing through the global F-35 Program."
By December 2016, Marand had received one-third of the Australian contracts in the F-35 program. Marand currently employ around 240 people across Australia, 180 of whom are located at the Moorabbin site, and 33 in the Vertical Tail Team.
Marand’s implementation of a fully integrated F-35A Vertical Tail manufacturing capability culminated in the installation of a precision milling machine, which is used to machine products to meet strict quality and capability requirements.
Marand signed a long-term agreement with BAE Systems UK in 2011 for the manufacture of Vertical Tails for the international conventional take-off and landing variant of the F-35.
In August 2017, the third Australian F-35A aircraft received its Australian-made, Marand-produced Vertical Tail as production of the aircraft neared completion.
Marand is not the only Victorian company to benefit from the F-35 program; Lovitt, Cablex, AW Bell, RUAG and BAE Systems Australia, which has offices in both Victoria and South Australia, are also key contributors to the program.
