Ducommun Incorporated today announced that it has been awarded several contracts by Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. to produce structural assemblies for the Boeing 737 MAX commercial jetliner. Ducommun will provide a variety of titanium assemblies used in the propulsion and thrust reverser assemblies built by Spirit AeroSystems for the 737 MAX. Production on these initial contracts is expected to begin later this year. Ducommun has provided structural solutions to the 737 platform since its inception.

“This is a significant win for Ducommun which allows us to work hand in hand with Spirit in supporting the 737 MAX,” said Anthony J. Reardon, chairman and chief executive officer. “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with both Spirit and Boeing in the development of these new applications. Spirit is a very important partner for us on the 737 program, and we are excited to further expand our content on this aircraft.”

The Boeing 737 MAX will build on the platform's reliability while delivering improved fuel efficiency to the single-aisle market. First flight is scheduled for 2016, with deliveries to customers anticipated to begin in 2017. The 737 MAX has already accumulated over 2,000 orders and is expected to have eight percent lower per-seat operating costs than its competition.