Perth based Quickstep Holdings has announced its successfully achieved a key milestone in its production preparations for the JSF program in mid October, passing the ‘Toll Gate’ review set by JSF partner company Northrop Grumman.
The Toll Gate measured Quickstep’s manufacturing readiness for Group 1 composite parts at its Coogee facility in WA, and was required before the company could progress to final negotiations with Northrop Grumman on its manufacturing long term agreement (LTA). The process was adjudicated by a review panel made up of personnel from Northrop Grumman and prime contractor, Lockheed Martin.
“For a start-up manufacturing facility this is an outstanding result, which has been achieved in exactly 12 months and on the date we said we would pass it – a great achievement by our staff and a reflection of the enormous dedication and hard work within our organisation,” Quickstep CEO Philippe Odouard said. “Typically, a review of this complexity and stringency would take a lot longer and it is a credit to our team that we have been able to meet all the key criteria on time in such a short space of time.”
Quickstep stands to gain as much as $700 million in contracts under the LTA.
