Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne has joined Rockwell Collins Australia at its facility in Sydney to witness the production of its 100th optical assembly for the electro-optical AAQ-37 Distributed Aperture System (DAS) for the F-35 Lightning II.
Rockwell Collins Australia expects to produce more than 7,000 of these assemblies across the life of the Joint Strike Fighter program, representing at least 40 per cent of global production, Minister Pyne said in a statement on Thursday.
Developed by Northrop Grumman, the DAS is a 360-degree situational awareness system that is intended to warn of incoming aircraft and missile threats, as well as providing day/night vision, fire-control capability and precision tracking of friendly aircraft for tactical manoeuvring.
“In addition to this contribution, Rockwell Collins Australia has successfully partnered with BAE Systems Australia and Northrop Grumman Australia for assignment of regional maintenance and repair responsibilities for some F-35 avionic components,” Minister Pyne said. “The company is also planning to increase its footprint to include a manufacturing capability for critical test equipment required by Australia and partner countries.”
Holding the 100th Optical Assembly for use in the #F35 made by Rockwell Collins Australia in Sydney today ➡️ https://t.co/QoGjEylPtl #auspol pic.twitter.com/Av6vRbqL1M
— Christopher Pyne (@cpyne) April 27, 2017
