Canadian manufacturer Magellan Aerospace has signed an agreement to continue the production of horizontal tail assemblies for F-35 Lightning II aircraft.
The multi-year contract with BAE Systems will further enhance Magellan’s participation in the global F-35 programme.
Work associated with the production of these flight-critical horizontal tail assemblies is carried out at Magellan’s facility in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
The assemblies will be installed on the F-35 conventional take-off and landing (CVTOL) variant.
Magellan is planning to manufacture more than 1,000 shipsets of horizontal tail assemblies for this programme.
Magellan CEO and president Phillip Underwood said: “Magellan has been able to achieve and maintain the maximum production rate per year during the Covid-19 crisis.
“The award of this agreement to Magellan and ongoing demand for horizontal tails will enable our rate to be maintained for another three years.
“Magellan is proud to be contributing to a critical programme, from the earliest days, supporting all global customers in this unprecedented international enterprise.”
The continuation of the contract builds on the existing decade-long partnership between the two companies to provide aircraft assemblies for the global F-35 programme.
The initial letter of intent for this effort was signed between BAE Systems and Magellan in 2006.
Over the entire contract period, both BAE Systems and Magellan have made several investments in facilities, training and technologies to successfully deliver the assemblies to Lockheed Martin, the prime contractor for the F-35 programme.
The global F-35 initiative includes a total of eight international partners, including the US, Australia, the UK, Norway, Italy, Canada, Denmark and the Netherlands.
Furthermore, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Finland, Belgium, Switzerland, Singapore and Israel are the eight foreign military sale customers associated with this programme.
Last month, Magellan signed a multi-million-dollar contract with Lockheed Martin for F-35 complex machined titanium components.
Under this contract, Magellan’s Kitchener facility in Ontario will deliver shipsets of machined wing tie bars for the aircraft’s flap.
