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Northrop Grumman Australia has welcomed an announcement that it had acquired continued maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade (MRO&U) work for Australian and Asia-Pacific allies’ fleets of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
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Under this assignment announcement, Northrop Grumman Australia and fellow Australian companies – BAE Systems, MOOG, RUAG, NIOA, Survitec, and GE Aviation – will provide the capabilities underpinning 13 of 17 MRO&U component repair technology groups assigned to the Asia-Pacific region.
These categories, assigned to Australian industry by the US Department of Defense for the sustainment of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, based in the Asia-Pacific region, include depot repair for avionics, munitions/weapons delivery, canopy systems, aircraft composite structure, electro-optical systems, electrical components, valves, auxiliary power systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, pneudraulics, hydro-mechanical systems, landing gear, life support and pumps.
Warren King, interim chief executive of Northrop Grumman Australia, welcomed the announcement, saying, “Northrop Grumman Australia continues to be fully committed to growing its in-country technical sustainment workforce and capabilities, and this work will allow us to continue supporting the Royal Australian Air Force’s mission and the Australian defence industry at large.”
Based on the assignment, Northrop Grumman Australia will deliver avionics, composites (teaming with Quickstep) and electro-optics repair (teaming with BAE Systems) services. In providing these services, the company will leverage its existing capabilities, as well as introduce new technologies to the Australian defence industrial community.
To further support the execution of this assignment, Northrop Grumman Australia is establishing an Electronic Sustainment Centre (ESC) to sustain mission-readiness capabilities within the Commonwealth. After achieving readiness in January 2019 to support regional APN-241 radar repair, the ESC is prepared to support key fifth-generation communications, navigation and identification systems.
“We are grateful to our industry teammates, the Australian JSF Division, the Commonwealth government and the US JPO for this recognition,” King added.
Northrop Grumman’s capabilities related to F-35 are reinforced by the company’s support to the RAAF’s KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport, Special Purpose Aircraft fleet and C-27J Spartan battlefield airlifter. With the sustainment and modernisation solutions that will be offered for other mission-critical platforms such as the MQ-4C Triton, Northrop Grumman is well positioned to continue to drive strategic value creation in the MRO market.
Steve Hogan, vice president, global sustainment and technology services supply chain, Northrop Grumman Technology Services, said, “MRO&U components are one element of the F-35 global sustainment solution. As the US and partner nations activate their F-35 fleets, Northrop Grumman and its industry team will continue to ensure critical systems are available for tasking and mission training.”
To discover more about Northrop Grumman Australia’s plans to expand the local defence industry’s capability on the back of key next-generation Air Force platforms like the F-35, MQ-4C Triton in the multi-domain battlespace, register your interest for Defence Connect’s two free livestreams powered by Northrop Grumman to be hosted at the 2019 Avalon Airshow here.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in autonomous systems, cyber, C4ISR, space, strike and logistics and modernisation to customers worldwide.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
