Triumph Systems & Support has drawn a four-year contract from Lockheed Martin Corp. to supply hydraulic utility actuation (HUA) valves the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The agreement extends a current, two-year order and makes Triumph Group sole provider for the HUA valve to the F-35 program.
Other terms of the contract were not reported. Triumph Group designs, engineers, manufactures, and repairs various aerospace and defense systems, components and structures.
The F-35 is a series of three different, single-engine aircraft with Stealth capability and designed for ground attack and combat, built by Lockheed and a network of hundreds of suppliers. It's deployed by the U.S Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, and the defense forces of multiple allied nations.
HUA valves offer directional flow control for hydraulic systems used in critical aircraft functions. The Triumph valves are proprietary designs used in multiple locations on the fighter jet, integrating with other aircraft systems.
"We are pleased that Lockheed Martin values the quality and performance of our HUA valves, and is selecting Triumph as the sole source provider for the next four years on the F-35 program," stated exec. v.p. William Kircher.
Last fall, Lockheed reached $34-billion agreement with the Pentagon for a total of 478 Joint Strike Fighter jets through the next three production series (Lots 13, 14, and 15.) That agreement notably set the F-35 unit cost below the $80-million target set by program critics, but the U.S. Congress has nevertheless resisted requests for a comprehensive, multi-year contract that would fund long-term production of the fighter aircraft.
