Fokker Technologies, a business of GKN Aerospace, awarded a contract to Asco Industries for the supply of Flaperon Spars for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II program. Asco will perform the manufacturing and integrated surface treatments on the spars at their corporate facility in Zaventem, Belgium. The F-35's Flaperon Spars are highly complex titanium machined components, which form the core of the flap located at the trailing edge of the wing.

The spars will be delivered to Fokker in the Netherlands who performs the assembly in composite material and delivers the complete flap to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth, USA.

The agreement was signed in presence of Fokker Technologies' Vice President Procurement & SCM, Toine Verbruggen and Asco Industries' Chief Commercial Officer, Laurent Canoen.

Toine Verbruggen, Vice President Procurement and Supply Chain Management of GKN Aerospace's Fokker business, said: "This agreement will contribute to a European supply chain network for the F-35. We know ASCO as a world class supplier of high lift structures and components. We look forward to work together on this program".

Laurent Canoen, Chief Commercial Officer at Asco Industries, said: "Asco is very excited to partner with Fokker Technologies in the F-35 program and to further develop the relationship between our companies. This contract award marks yet another step in Asco's continuous support to Lockheed Martin's F-35 program across our different global entities."

Lockheed Martin engaged with Fokker Technologies to develop ASCO Belgium as a source for the titanium Flaperon Spar in the context of the Belgian F-16 Replacement Program. Through this contract award, ASCO Belgium's industrial and technical capabilities will expand and drive affordable solutions for the F-35 Program.