Canberra, June 24: A Melbourne aerospace firm has won the first Australian contract to build components for the next generation of US warplanes, Defense Minister Robert Hill announced today. Hill said GKN Aerospace Services was awarded a 10-year, multi-million dollar contract for the design, analysis and manufacture of metal and composite fuselage components for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).
He said a second, unidentified Australian company was also close to clinching a contract to help develop the stealthy, multi-role warplane and others were set to follow. "Australian industry is starting to see the benefits of the government's decision to invest up to 150 million US dollars in the JSF program," Hill told a defense procurement conference.
"Not only has one company obtained work, but other companies will be able to build on this by bidding to manufacture the GKN-designed components," he said. The JSF is due to make up the core component of the US Air Force and is expected to begin replacing Australia's aging fleet of F/A-18 fighters and F-111 bombers from around the middle of next decade. Bureau Report