Strata, the Abu Dhabi-based start-up, has taken another step towards its ambition to be one of the industry's leading risk-sharing, tier-one manufacturers after cementing a deal with Boeing to supply composite aerostructures for its airliners.
The US manufacturer is also to partner with fellow Mubadala subsidiary Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center (AMMROC) to provide support to Boeing military platforms in the UAE, including Apache and Chinook helicopters and C-17 transport aircraft.
The agreements, signed at the show on Monday, follow a looser cooperation understanding that Boeing and Mubadala announced two years ago. Al Ain-based Strata, which launched operations last year, already builds wing components for Airbus and ATR empennages for Alenia Aeronautica.
Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief executive Jim Albaugh said the latest agreements would set Strata on the path to become a tier-one supplier to the airframer, "managing a local supply chain and building some very important products for our airplanes".
The Boeing deal had been expected ahead of the show, and should see Strata employing 1,000 people by 2013.
- All the latest news, video and images from the 2011 Dubai air show
Source: Flight Daily News
