During the recent Farnborough Air Show which took place July 14 - 20, diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation's aerospace business and Alenia Aeronautica announced the formal signing of an agreement to cooperate in a workshare program on the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. The agreement involves the design, development and production of hydraulic, fuel and power thermal management system (PTMS) tubes for the wing assemblies of the Conventional Take-Off and Landing (CTOL) F-35 Lightning II.

The signing ceremony was attended by Eaton's Robert Luley, senior manager, program management and Dan Carroll, senior manager, supply chain, Alenia's Gian Carlo Anselmino. VP military programs for Alenia Aeronautica and Lockheed Martin's executive VP and program manager for the F-35, Tom Burbage. The signing ceremony was next to the Lockheed Martin pavilion next to the full-scale mock-up of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter.

Alenia Aeronautica is under contract with Lockheed Martin to produce half of the wing sections for the CTOL F-35. Under the agreement Alenia Aeronautica will manufacture 15% of the tubing that will be installed in the wing sections. 85% remaining of the tubing will be manufactured and supplied by Eaton. The partnership will also supply complete tubing packages to Lockheed Martin for the wing sections that the company are assembling at their Fort Worth, Texas facility.

Following the signing ceremony, members of the group participated in a briefing of the multi-role aircraft including an opportunity to sit in the cockpit of the CTOL mock-up variant.