Terma is ready for full F-35 production

Terma states in a press release that it has entered into contracts on eight additional programs for the world's largest defense industrial project, F-35 Lightning II, with Lockheed Martin as the main contractor. And now; the company has marked another milestone as supplier to the F-35 program. Since October 2015, the entire factory layout has been modified and optimised. For example, the internal transport distances have been reduced by 50%. A new bonding facility has been established in a new 4’000 square meter factory building. In this facility, the "raw" carbon fiber materials are cut – by laser positioning equipment – and laid up in tools and prepared to be cured in one of three major autoclaves. To ensure the right quality, all parts are subsequently scanned in the newly acquired 5-axis ultrasound scanner. A new large tool storage area has also been established as well as a new automatic cold store for raw materials. Further, the capacity for the manufacturing of aerostructures has doubled with the investments in new machining centers (Precision Milling Machines) and high-precision measuring equipment. The company has also recruited about. 80 new employees. By 2021, when F-35 production reaches full-rate production of approximately 150 aircraft per year, total staff is expected to have increased by 130-150 to almost 500 employees, the company writes.