Australian defense industry to provide maintenance and repair for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program

Northrop Grumman Australia said recently that the Australian defense industry has been awarded a substantial quantity of maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrades for the multinational  F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program.

The U.S. JSF Program Office (JPO) assigned the maintenance and repair work to sustain F-35 Lightning IIs based in the Asia/Pacific region, including 72 F-35As on order for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), to Australian defense firms Northrop Grumman Australia, BAE Systems Australia, Rockwell Collins Australia, GE Aviation Systems Australia and Quickstep.

“The assignment of this work to Australia is an endorsement of the health and growth of the Australian defense industry and an acknowledgement of Northrop Grumman Australia’s continued commitment to growing its technical sustainment workforce and capabilities in country,” Northrop Grumman Australia CEO Ian Irving said. “We are grateful to our industry teammates, the Australian Joint Strike Fighter Division, the commonwealth government and the U.S. JPO for this recognition."

"The capabilities we bring to F-35 for Australia are reinforced by our delivery of support to the RAAF’s KC-30A Multi-Role Transport Tanker and Special Purpose Aircraft fleets, and engine sustainment work through our Northrop Grumman Integrated Defence Services operating unit. Coupled with the sustainment and modernization solutions we will offer for other mission-critical platforms, including Triton for maritime surveillance and C-27J for battlefield airlift support, Northrop Grumman is well positioned to help continue to drive strategic value creation in the Australian defense-MRO market,” Irving said.