AS9120 CERTIFICATION FOSTERS COOPERATION IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY (DEMO)
The Pentagon is setting up “maintenance bases” in different parts of the world for its Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), the F-35 Lightning II, specifically in client countries which are also participating in its development. Among these countries are Japan, Australia, Italy, Turkey, and Israel; all of which showed interest in procuring the stealth multirole fighter in the future.
![Pentagon Sets up F-35 Maintenance Plan in Asia]()
Dubbed as the regional Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) by the Defense Department, these maintenance bases will be responsible for repair and replacement work on an array of hardware and software components. By delegating maintenance roles to the partner countries, the JSF program hopes to reduce the aircraft’s costs for the benefit of the client partners.
Designed to replace strike aircraft like the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the F-35 adds stealth to ground attack capabilities just as the F-22 Raptor does the same on air superiority. This U.S.-led coalitional effort hopes to standardize tactical aircraft for various military branches, hence the term “joint strike.”
The aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, takes its choice of suppliers seriously. Companies wanting to get involved with supplying the F-35 with the right parts must have the proper certifications—manufacturers must be AS9100 certified, and distributors must be AS9120 certified. Like the F-22, the F-35 is a system of parts developed by other certified companies. It possesses Pratt and Whitney’s F135 engine, and Northrop Grumman avionics, among others.
The participating MRO&U countries will need to comply with these requirements, and make use of parts coming from suppliers with the right certifications, including AS9100 and AS9120, which are quality management standards set for the manufacturing and procurement of aviation parts, from rivets to airframes.
Any plane, civil or military, must be fitted with quality hardware and software to help it perform as intended. Given the tall order for the F-35, legitimate AS9120 certification and similar standards must be met to ensure the quality of the aircrafts rolling out of the production line.
Businesses who wish to benefit from high-level undertakings with industry leaders must ensure they get the right certifications, with the help of organizations like International Standards Authority, Inc., who can not only steer them toward getting certified, but also in maintaining their certifications throughout their operation.
(Source: “Pentagon Sets up F-35 Maintenance Plan in Asia,” DoD Buzz, December 17, 2014)
Dubbed as the regional Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul and Upgrade (MRO&U) by the Defense Department, these maintenance bases will be responsible for repair and replacement work on an array of hardware and software components. By delegating maintenance roles to the partner countries, the JSF program hopes to reduce the aircraft’s costs for the benefit of the client partners.
Designed to replace strike aircraft like the Air Force’s F-15E Strike Eagle and the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, the F-35 adds stealth to ground attack capabilities just as the F-22 Raptor does the same on air superiority. This U.S.-led coalitional effort hopes to standardize tactical aircraft for various military branches, hence the term “joint strike.”
The aircraft’s manufacturer, Lockheed Martin, takes its choice of suppliers seriously. Companies wanting to get involved with supplying the F-35 with the right parts must have the proper certifications—manufacturers must be AS9100 certified, and distributors must be AS9120 certified. Like the F-22, the F-35 is a system of parts developed by other certified companies. It possesses Pratt and Whitney’s F135 engine, and Northrop Grumman avionics, among others.
The participating MRO&U countries will need to comply with these requirements, and make use of parts coming from suppliers with the right certifications, including AS9100 and AS9120, which are quality management standards set for the manufacturing and procurement of aviation parts, from rivets to airframes.
Any plane, civil or military, must be fitted with quality hardware and software to help it perform as intended. Given the tall order for the F-35, legitimate AS9120 certification and similar standards must be met to ensure the quality of the aircrafts rolling out of the production line.
Businesses who wish to benefit from high-level undertakings with industry leaders must ensure they get the right certifications, with the help of organizations like International Standards Authority, Inc., who can not only steer them toward getting certified, but also in maintaining their certifications throughout their operation.
(Source: “Pentagon Sets up F-35 Maintenance Plan in Asia,” DoD Buzz, December 17, 2014)