Fokker signs multi-billion JSF deal

Dutch aircraft firm Fokker Technologies signed a new contract with US aerospace company Lockheed Martin to supply wing components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). The deal signed last week in the Hague, is believed to be worth tens of millions of euros. Fokker will not reveal the amount of money involved in the assignment, describing it only as a "comprehensive agreement." The Dutch firm is taking between five and eight billion U.S. dollars in orders connected to the F-35 over several decades, Nu.nl reported. The latest deal assigns a significant order of parts production to Fokker, a press release from the company said. They will produce three-meter-long flaps on the wing's leading edges, and flaps for the outboard leading-edge of the wing. The Dutch firm did similar work with Lockheed Martin on F-16 production. “The selection for the follow-on production orders is a very important step," said Fokker CEO Hans Büthker. "This order will secure employment for around 100 employees, a figure that will be doubled if the total production order is received.”