JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #122 - July 2018 - 38

FEATURE AEROSPACE
manufacturing

Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martin
celebrate F-35 programme milestone
On 21 February 2018, Orbital ATK, a global leader in aerospace and
defence technologies, and Lockheed Martin celebrated the successful completion of the 5,000th Orbital ATK-built F-35 composite part.
bryan warren,
Sr. Communications Manager
Orbital ATK Aerospace Structures,
Orbital ATK, Inc.

he 5,000 composite parts equate
to approximately 430 ship sets and
demonstrate Orbital ATK's ability
to meet customers' high-quality standards
and delivery requirements to support U.S.
and international forces around the world.
Over 500 jobs added
Orbital ATK's Aerospace Structures
Division facility in Clearfield, Utah, currently produces almost 90% of the upper
and lower wing skins, engine nacelles,
access covers and fixed skins for the
F-35 Lightning II. Their partner, Janicki
Industries, then machines the parts to very
exacting engineering requirements. The
parts are delivered to support the prime
contractor, Lockheed Martin, as well as its
international suppliers. Orbital ATK was
awarded a contract in 2017 to also produce
bullnose and blade seals for the F-35.
This milestone showcases the growth of
composite manufacturing in Utah as the
company has added over 500 jobs in the
past two years.
To celebrate both the milestone and the
successful partnership with employees,
Steve Earl, Vice President and General
Manager of Orbital ATK's Aerospace
Structures Division was joined by Janet
Duffey, Vice President of Supply Chain
Management, Lockheed Martin, Mark
Miller, Director of Procurement, Lockheed
Martin, and John Janicki, President, Janicki

Industries, as well as several national,
state and local dignitaries, including U.S.
Air Force F-35 Squadron Officers and
Clearfield City Mayor, Mark Shepherd.
An excellent long-term relationship
"Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics have had an excellent long-term
relationship that relies on their continued success and leadership in composite manufacturing", said Lockheed Martin's Janet Duffey.
With more than 1,400 domestic suppliers in 46 states and Puerto Rico, the
programme is responsible for more than
170,000 direct and indirect U.S. jobs and
$24 billion of economic impact annually.
In addition to the main F-35 production
line in Fort Worth, Texas, final assembly
and checkout operations (FACO) facilities
are located in Cameri, Italy and Nagoya,
Japan, and suppliers in all nine of the programme's partner countries are producing
components for F-35 aircraft.

«Orbital ATK and
Lockheed Martin
Aeronautics have
had an excellent
long-term
relationship»

jec composites magazine / N°122 July 2018

Fibre placement
Orbital ATK's advanced automated fibre
placement machines have played a critical
role in reaching and maintaining the highrate production rates required on the F-35
programme.
This technology provides versatility in
manufacturing highly complex structures
that enable more mass-efficient and higher
performance designs.
The company's automated fibre placement
machines also improve part quality and
reproducibility. The technology is critical
to reaching and maintaining the high
production rates required on the F-35
programme.
Orbital ATK manufactures parts for
the F-35 at its 37,500m² Freeport
Composite Centre (FCC) facility in
Clearfield, Utah.
More information:
www.orbitalatk.com

http://www.orbitalatk.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #122 - July 2018