SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- LAI International, a supplier of precision components and subassemblies for original equipment manufacturers, has signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar agreement to manufacture structural components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
LAI will produce structural components on vertical fins on the advanced attack aircraft for Kongsberg Defence Systems.
“LAI solved Kongsberg’s requirements for dimensional accuracy and processing speed, cutting the 10-inch thick titanium forgings,” Thomas Sterner, major accounts manager, said. “Our multiple machines and 24/7 capacity makes LAI an ideal partner as F-35 production increases.”
LAI will also manufacture 21 different precision-machined titanium and aluminum structural panels that fit on the airframe of three variants of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Jet -- a Conventional Take-Off and Landing aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, a Carrier Variant for the U.S. Navy; and a Short Take-Off and Vertical Landing aircraft for the U.S. Marine Corps and the Royal Navy.