Goodrich today named its new supplier for advanced landing gear coatings for the F-35. The designated supplier is (drum-roll): the US Air Force, which dizzyingly becomes the F-35's chief customer, chief tester and downstream supply chain flunky, all in one! (Who wants to be THAT Goodrich supply chain manager: "USAF, we're going to have squeeze you on your price this year to cover our costs ... -- what do you mean I'm fired?")
According to Mike Brand, president, Goodrich Landing Gear, "In today's market, commercial and military platforms compete for limited capacity on critical process technologies. By working with the Air Force, Goodrich is able to provide our customer a high quality, environmentally-friendly product at a price and production rate that is competitive with the commercial marketplace. In addition, we have a unique opportunity to engage our customer early in the F-35 program's life cycle; they can gain experience with the landing gear design and technology well in advance of traditional depot maintenance and overhaul activities as the product is fielded."Read the Goodrich press release.
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