Lightweight metals leader Alcoa, have won a contract to supply titanium for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft program. Unde...
Lightweight metals leader Alcoa, have won a contract to supply titanium for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II aircraft program.
Under the contract, Alcoa becomes the titanium supplier for airframe structures for all three variants of the F-35 over nine years, from 2016 to 2024. At current projected build rates, the contract has an estimated value of approximately $1.1 billion.
Alcoa will supply titanium plate and billet from several operations gained through the acquisition of RTI International Metals.
The titanium will be used to manufacture airframe structures for all three F-35 JSF variants: The F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing (CTOL) aircraft, the F-35B Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft and the F-35C Carrier Variant (CV).
Under a different existing contract, Alcoa will use the metal to forge all of the largest titanium bulkheads—the “backbone” of the aircraft structure—for the CTOL variant at its Cleveland, Ohio operations. Approximately 75 percent of all F-35s produced are CTOLs.
Alcoa already supplies several key, multi-material components for the F-35 inluding:
- Multiple structural aircraft body components including the largest forged aluminum bulkheads, which Alcoa manufactures in one piece—as opposed to multi-piece assemblies—saving 300-400 pounds per jet, helping Lockheed Martin meet aggressive weight, range and fuel efficiency targets and reduce machining and assembly time.
- Advanced aluminum die forgings for the critical wheel and braking systems.
- Fasteners and installation tooling that hold the aircraft together, which can be easily installed in the most hard-to-reach areas—important given the complex design and performance requirements of the aircraft.
- Machined aluminum and titanium “vane box” assemblies that direct air flow, enabling the vertical landing capabilities of the STOVL.
- Several high-performance components for the F-135 engine, including seamless rolled rings that encase the engine parts, titanium forged disks, and advanced single-crystal, nickel superalloy blades and vanes that enable the engine to operate at temperatures hotter than the melting point of the superalloys, increasing fuel efficiency.
The F-35 Lightning II is an advanced fighter aircraft combining stealth, speed and agility, designed for many kinds of missions. Lockheed Martin’s full-rate production goal is 13 aircraft a month by the mid-2020s.
