F-35 JSF canopy

Citation

(2005), "F-35 JSF canopy", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 77 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2005.12777fad.016

F-35 JSF canopy

Equipment

F-35 JSF canopy

Keywords: Aircraft, Coatings

With the first full-scale, full-specification optical coating trials successfully completed on the Integrated Transparency Systems (ITS) for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, GKN Aerospace recently delivered the first fully functional flight part to Lockheed Martin.

The F-35 canopy systems incorporate key features never before applied in an aircraft transparency. These have required new manufacturing processes to be developed and advanced new facilities to be installed by GKN Aerospace at its Transparency Systems base in Garden Grove, California, USA. The new equipment will manufacture the large and unique shape of the F-35 transparencies, carrying out the advanced coating, laminating, and 5-axis NC machining processes.

Jim Dauw, Chief Executive Officer of GKN Aerospace Special Products Division comments: “We have worked closely with Lockheed Martin as part of an Integrated Product Team to determine the requirements and evolve the tooling and development processes for the F-35 system.”

In January 2002, GKN Aerospace was contracted by Lockheed Martin to develop the ITS for the system development and demonstration (SDD) phase of the JSF program. The JSF ITS contract covers the development of the aircraft canopy and related systems and for both the US Air Force CTOL and Navy CV variants as well as the short- takeoff/vertical-landing (STOVL) version for the US Marines and UK Royal Air Force/Royal Navy. This includes the design, qualification and production of the test units for the aircraft. The first ITS has been developed for the CTOL and CV variants whilst development of the System for the STOVL variant is progressing on schedule with the first prototype sled test units already delivered.

Details available from: GKN Aerospace, Tel: +44 (0)1983 283649.