Norwegian Company Joins JSF Supply Chain

Compiled ByTonya Vinas Norway's Volvo Aero Norge (VAN) is the first manufacturer from that country to cash in on the $200 billion Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. The company will supply shafts to Pratt & Whitney, which has a 10-year, $4.8 billion contract to build engines for the development stage of the JSF. The JSF has been called the largest ever defense contract in terms of dollars. In the development stage, a group of companies led by Lockheed Martin Corp. will build 22 aircraft, the first of which is slated to fly in 2005. Longer term, the JSF program calls for 3,000 of the fighters to be built by 2040. Pratt & Whitney landed its contract for engines separately from the Lockheed Martin group. VAN, previously known as Norsk Jetmotor, has been working with Pratt & Whitney since 1976 when Norway ordered some F-16 fighters powered by Pratt & Whitney engines. "They have proven repeatedly that they provide best value for many critical components," says Ed O'Donnell, director of JSF international programs for Pratt & Whitney.