Another day and yet another very significant international order placed with Lockheed Martin, this time from the Canadian Government, for the hugely successful multirole F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jet.
With over 890 Lockheed Martin F-35 military jets already delivered and flying from no fewer than 27 national and international air bases worldwide and with continuous production envisaged to stretch through 2046 covering production of at least 2,443 aircraft for the US Government, 700 for partner nations and which includes the UK, plus an additional 1,000 to 1,500 for foreign military sales customers, it is little wonder that the Government of Canada announced yesterday that in a C$19bn ($14.2bn) deal it would be acquiring 88 of the F-35A variant for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Following on from recent wins in Germany which last year ordered 35 F-35A variants making that country the ninth foreign military sales customer to acquire the F-35, the Canadian order marks yet another very significant success for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter programme.
Other international military air forces that have ordered the F-35 include Australia; United Kingdom; Belgium; Denmark; Finland; Italy; Japan; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; South Korea; Thailand; United Arab Emirates; Israel; and Singapore.
With up to 15% of each and every F-35 jet built in the UK and as many as 25,000 jobs either directly created or supporting the supply chain, the F-35 programme is hugely important for the UK defence industrial base. Key components and assemblies produced in the UK include the BAE Systems built aft fuselage and vertical and horizontal tails, Martin Baker ejection seats, Cobham refuelling probes together with many other components produced by companies such as Rolls-Royce (on the F-35B STOVL variant); Survitec; Selex, Honeywell Aerospace, Ultra Electronics, UTC Actuation/Colins Aerospace, GE Aviation along with many others. UK companies with US based subsidiaries are also involved in the F-35 programme.
As more F-35 aircraft enter service with customers each year one of the most important aspect of F-35 operation is and will increasingly be through life support and sustainment. That requirement is already growing and BAE Systems involvement in fast growing F-35 international sustainment and maintenance support programme is hugely important in the medium and longer term.
The UK will be a significant repair hub for Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul & Upgrade (MRO&U) services for F-35 avionics and aircraft components. In operation for the last three years from the DECA site at Sealand, BAE Systems and its partners in this venture – Defence Electronics and Components Agency (DECA) and Northrop Grumman will carry out what will of inevitability be an expanding level of work in the years ahead. The potential in being responsible for major aspects of MRO&U is in my view as enormous as it is often understated.
BAE Systems is itself already part of a large programme delivering engineering and training facilities at RAF Marham in Norfolk supporting the in-service fleet of Royal Navy/RAF F-35B STOVL aircraft and of which current confirmed MOD intention envisages a total in excess of 74 F-35 jets being ordered. Of these, 30 F-35B STOVL variants have so far been delivered and a further 7 aircraft are I believe planned for delivery during 2023 with a further 11 aircraft being delivered through 2024/5. There is as yet no further detail in respect of when the remaining 26 planned F-35 aircraft will be ordered by the MOD. FYI, with one aircraft lost in a Carrier accident and three test/training aircraft remaining in the US, the total number of aircraft available to the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy stands at 26.
In the US, BAE Systems are an integral part of the Integrated Test Force team, providing a range of support activities including fleet management, reliability and maintainability analysis, spares and repairs, software development and training and in Australia, BAE Systems is responsible for airframe MRO&U of the whole F-35 aircraft fleet based in the Southern Pacific region from its base in Williamtown. Just as in the UK, Australia will become an increasingly significant repair hub for MRO&U services for F-35 aircraft avionics and components and the company will be the lead provider F-35 services alongside its industry partners.
Canada will receive its first F-35’s in 2026 and the fleet is expected to be fully operational between 2032 and 2034. This is the largest single investment by the Canadian Government in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 30 years.
So, well done once again to Lockheed Martin for chalking-up yet another very huge F-35 order success.
CHW (London – 10th January 2023)
Howard Wheeldon FRAeS
Wheeldon Strategic Advisory Ltd,
M: +44 7710 779785
Skype: chwheeldon