Quickstep Launches Advanced Flare Housing Facility for F-35 Lightning II

 

 

A new collaborative robot cell for the manufacture of flare housings. Source | Quickstep 

 

 

Quickstep Holdings Ltd. (Sydney, Australia) opened a new flare housing manufacturing facility at its Bankstown, Australia site on Oct. 13. Quickstep, an independent manufacturer of advanced carbon fiber components, says its new flare housing project has established a state-of-the-art facility for the manufacturing of composite housings for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter aircraft’s countermeasure flares, an essential part of the aircraft’s defensive capability.

“This exciting new project has seen the further development of our world-class advanced manufacturing capabilities here at Bankstown Airport. We applied advanced tooling, robotics and process engineering skills to develop this facility, which will competitively position Quickstep to secure more F-35 work and other defense and aerospace projects in the future,” says Mark Burgess, CEO and managing director of Quickstep.

Quickstep is also partnering with manufacturer Chemring Australia (Anakie, Australia) for the supply of countermeasure flare housings. According to Quickstep, this partnership represents an evolution of the company’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program work from the production of composite parts to the manufacturing of consumable flare housings. Quickstep says it will continue to work with the Australian government and its industry partners to safeguard Australian national security.

From left to right: Quickstep Chair Tony Quick, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price, Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Quickstep CEO and Managing Director Mark Burgess, in the new facility. Source | Quickstep

Prime Minister of Australia Scott Morrison officially opened Quickstep Holdings Limited’s in a ceremony on Oct. 13. Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, and other defense representatives were also in attendance.

“I am honored that Prime Minister Morrison has opened our new facility in Bankstown and commend his government’s vision to build a strong, sustainable and globally competitive defense industry — supporting the sdevelopment of a highly skilled workforce and thriving defense industry sector,” says Burgess.