Quickstep Holdings says it more than doubled the number of delivered parts for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project in the three months to March 31 2017 and is expecting a “strong growth trajectory” in the period ahead.
The Australian manufacturer said it delivered 410 parts for the F-35 program in the three months to June 30 2017, more than double the 163 parts in the prior corresponding period.
This brought the total number of parts for 2016/17 to 1,230, compared with 590 parts in 2015/16.
“Quickstep’s JSF production program continues its strong growth trajectory, with manufacturing expected to triple from FY16 to FY19,” the company said in a statement.
Quickstep has agreements with several original equipment manufacturers to supply F-35 parts for the next two decades valued at about US$700 million. This included being the sole supplier for Northrop Grumman for 21 F-35 parts, including doors, panels, lower skins and other composite parts.
It also has a long-term agreement with Marand for the supply of about 700 sets of carbon fibre composite parts for the F-35, including skins, spars and fairings, which was signed in April 2014.
Separately, Quickstep is the sole global supplier of wing flaps for the C‐130J Super Hercules after signing a five-year memorandum of agreement in December 2013. Current C-130J orders extend through to 2019.
It delivered eight ship-sets for the C-130J program in the three months to June 30, taking total production for 2016/17 to 26 complete ship-sets and five individual spares, which Quickstep said was in line with expectations.
The first parts for Lockheed Martin’s LM-100J commercial freighter, the civil derivative of the C-130J Super Hercules military airlifter, was also delivered in the fourth quarter.
Quickstep reported full year revenue of $52.6 million, up four per cent from the prior year.
Meanwhile, the firm order book stood at $98 million at the end of June.
