PAUL LEWIS/ WASHINGTON DC
Relationship restructured following strategic link between Boeing and Finmeccanica
Lockheed Martin has moved to strengthen its relationship with Alenia Aeronautica following the recent signing of a collaborative agreement between Boeing and the Italian manufacturer's parent Finmeccanica. The talks have affirmed Alenia's position as the second largest foreign partner on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme and opened the door to a possible wider role on the C-130J and participation in the proposed P-3 Orion 21 maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) development.
"I can see a relationship for the next 40 to 50 years without any problem," Dain Hancock, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics president told Flight International, after meeting Alenia president Giorgio Zappa last week. "It will be a very strong and good business relationship that is mutually beneficial...The opportunity for a wider relationship is there and desired by both of us."
The meeting took place a month after Boeing signed an alliance with Finmeccanica on co-operation on yet-to-be identified projects. While claiming the meeting with Zappa was "unrelated", Hancock added that "we tend to focus on real business relationships and not just the verbal strategic relationships. Those generally are built around a programme base." Potential areas for expansion include the C-130J programme, depending on the fate of the planned Airbus Military A400M transport, and future JSF support.
Alenia engineers already comprise most of the 137 Italian engineers seconded to the USA to work on JSF's development and, as a second supplier, it will manufacture a "significant quantity" of F-35 wings. "We have told both the Italian government and Alenia that if the programme could support the business case to have a final assembly line in Italy, we would support that. Historically when you get into the range of 200-400 aircraft, there begins to be a case," says Hancock.
Lockheed Martin has also opened a "dialogue" with Alenia on possible participation in its proposed successor to the P-3C. With a planned joint purchase with Germany of a replacement MPA for its Dassault Atlantics now in danger of collapse, Italy has begun to look to the US Navy's proposed Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft. "If it should happen then clearly Italy and Alenia would be an important consideration," says Hancock.
On the downside, the Hancock-Zappa meeting confirms Lockheed Martin's decision to scale back its participation in the C-27J programme as it moves into production. The Lockheed Martin Alenia Tactical Transport Systems office will continue for a period, but primary responsibility for marketing and sales will revert to Alenia, while Lockheed Martin's industrial participation will be more along the lines of a subcontractor (Flight International, 3-10 December 2002).
On the Boeing 7E7, Alenia will participate in research into new low-weight, durable materials for use in the airframe, including composite and aluminium alloys. The company has been involved in production of composite structures for Boeing since the late 1970s.
Additional reporting by Pino Modola in Genoa
Source: Flight International
