28 December, 2018: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), Israel’s largest aerospace and defence company has inaugurated a new production line for skins for the F-35 wings. The line was established following Lockheed Martin’s decision to expand the skins’ production and its selection of IAI as the subcontractor responsible for the manufacturing. IAI has approved the construction of the new production line in 2015. The 20 year programme is anticipated to yield revenues of hundreds of millions of dollars, with shipments expected from the beginning of next year. The first shipments will be of some 700 kits with potential for additional orders at a later stage.
The skins will be manufactured by means of innovative technology called Automatic Fiber Placement (AFP) that comprises layers of composite materials. The layers consist of 3-mm threads that become a cohesive unit, thus forming the special wing skin that provides them with the stealth capability.
The establishment of the new production line constitutes a major enhancement of IAI’s automation and robotics capabilities, allowing it to become a key player in the military and commercial aero structures field.
Shlomi Karako, IAI EVP and general manager of the Commercial Aircraft Group, said, “The inauguration of the F-35 wings skin production line is a significant milestone in realizing IAI’s strategy of building advanced capabilities in composite material production. I would like to thank Lockheed Martin for their confidence and the longstanding collaboration that has led to the establishment of the new production line.”