Quickstep signs US$75 million Lockheed Martin C-130J memorandum of agreement

Quickstep Holdings Limited, the manufacturer of high-grade carbon-fibre composite components, today announced that it has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the global security and aerospace company, Lockheed Martin (for the manufacture and delivery of 120 sets of C-130J carbon-fibre wing flaps through 2018 at a rate of approximately 24 sets per year. This MOA is subsequent to Quickstep's March 2012 announcement that the company was awarded the tender to manufacture wing flaps for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

The MOA is an overarching agreement under which Quickstep will supply carbon-fibre wing flaps for the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The value of activities under the agreement, which includes previous purchase orders announced by Quickstep, is US$75 million.

Quickstep managing director Philippe Odouard said: “We are delighted to sign this memorandum of agreement with Lockheed Martin which provides increased certainty for Quickstep. Under the agreement, we will supply 120 shipsets of carbon-fibre wing flaps through to 2018. Since being awarded the tender against global competition, we have made significant progress including qualification of processes, transferring of manufacturing jigs, establishing a qualified trained workforce and commencing production. We are on track to deliver the first completed assemblies in the next few weeks.”

The company is manufacturing carbon-fibre wing flaps for the Lockheed Martin C-130J. Each shipset includes four carbon fibre wing flaps. Each flap contains more than 200 individual parts including carbon ribs, spars and skins; more than 200 tools are used for the parts' development and manufacture. The wing flaps are expected to be delivered at a rate of approximately two sets per month beginning January 2014.

The Lockheed Martin C-130J wing flaps program is one of two significant aerospace programs awarded to Quickstep, which is also producing components for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program.