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BAE Systems Australia has celebrated the production of the 15,000th titanium part produced at Edinburgh Parks, South Australia for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.
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The range of parts produced in Australia have delivered 500 tail sets for the fifth-generation fighter, with the parts combining with aft fuselage and horizontal tail sets to make up the rear section of each jet that BAE Systems produces across its global enterprise.
BAE Systems Australia supplies F-35 components to both its UK business as well as Victorian manufacturer Marand.
“Australia’s strength is in the ability of manufacturers to excel in the production of highly specialised products," BAE Systems Australia managing director for defence delivery Andrew Gresham said.
"We are undertaking very complex and advanced manufacturing in a way that is cost effective and globally competitive. Digitisation will be the next big step change to further improve our competitiveness by allowing us to collaborate seamlessly with our suppliers and partners in real time.
"This will mean that we can identify and resolve issues faster, improve risk management and optimise production.”
For the next two decades, Edinburgh Parks will continue producing vertical tail parts for the F-35, and possibly longer depending on global sales of the aircraft. BAE Systems said securing this level of work has "underpinned the company's investment in bespoke titanium machining facilities" at the facility, which was also supported by the SA government.
BAE Systems Australia is a principal partner in the F-35 program in Australia with the advanced manufacturing of a number of components for the global fleet production program: titanium components for the F-35 vertical tails; communication, navigation and identification avionics modules; and development and manufacture of corrosion sensors.
Across its global enterprise, BAE Systems delivers up to 15 per cent of every F-35, including the production of the rear section and electronic warfare suite.
BAE Systems also produces bespoke components for other critical Defence programs, including the Nulka decoy and the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.
