Fokker Landing Gear and Goodrich have agreed to work together to design and manufacture the landing gear drag braces for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II under a three-year deal.
The polymer matrix composite (PMC) braces will be incorporated into the main landing gear for the F-35 conventional take-off/landing (CTOL) and short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) variants, says Fokker.
Goodrich is the exclusive landing gear supplier and integrator for the F-35, while Fokker Landing Gear is responsible for the detailed component design and qualification.
"Compared to the metallic brace equivalent, using PMC materials will result in reduced weight and lower maintenance costs over the life of the F-35. The new design will produce a common PMC brace used on both the CTOL and STOVL variants, as well as increase commonality to hardware used on the carrier variant F-35," says Fokker Landing Gear.
Lockheed Martin has also awarded a $25 million contract to Asco Aerospace Canada to supply large complex titanium parts for the F-35 over a period of seven years.
Asco will manufacture the parts in its facility in Vancouver, says the company.
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Source: Flight Daily News
