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Walpole,
MA December
11, 2003 (PRNewswire) -
The Joint
Air-to-Surface
Standoff
Missile (JASSM)
reached a
major milestone
when both
the JASSM
Joint Program
Office and
the B-52
Systems Program
Office certified
JASSM meets
warfighter
requirements
and is ready
for operational
use.This
declaration
precedes the
warfighter
certification
of the Initial
Operational
Capability,
which is
owned by Air
Combat Command.
JASSM
is a 2,000-pound
class weapon with
a dual-mode penetrator
and blast fragmentation
warhead. Its stealthy
airframe makes
it extremely difficult
for enemy defenses
to successfully
defeat. In addition
to the B-52, the
missile is planned
for deployment
on B-1, B-2, F-16
and F/A-18 aircraft
and has a range
greater than 200
miles.
JASSM
is developed by
Lockheed Martin
[NYSE: LMT] with
a team of key
suppliers including
Fiber Innovations,
who supply the
composite fuselage
and other structural
components. "We
are very proud
of the commitment
we have seen from
the entire JASSM
team. JASSM key
suppliers, our
electronics and
seekers production
team in Ocala,
Fla., and the
Troy production
team made their
commitments early.
When the state-of-the-art
facility reaches
full-rate production
of JASSM, it will
produce approximately
one missile each
day and is currently
scheduled to continue
producing JASSMs
until 2014" said
Mike Inderhees,
JASSM program
director at Lockheed
Martin.
Most
of the surface
area and load
bearing structure
of JASSM is manufactured
using a braided
composite process
to place fibers
in their proper
orientation and
shape. The majority
of these parts
are then molded
using the Vacuum-assisted
Resin Transfer
Molding, or VaRTM,
process. Carbon
fabric reinforcements
and conventional
RTM processing
are also used
to manufacture
almost 50% of
the other composite
flight hardware
for JASSM.
Cost
savings were accomplished
by developing
net-shaped preforms
for fuselage components,
and improving
the net edge molding
of the upper and
lower composite
fuselage. Other
cost reduction
factors include
improved inner
mold line dimensional
control and optimizing
the resin infusion
through automated
temperature and
pressure controls.
Working with the
Air Force Research
Laboratory's Materials
and Manufacturing
Directorate, Manufacturing
Technology Division
and Lockheed Martin,
Fiber Innovations
developed composite
manufacturing
methods that will
save more than
$19 million over
the production
life of the missile.
According
to Secretary of
the Air Force,
Dr. James G. Roche "JASSM
is one of our
flagship programs
for acquisition
excellence. Not
only will our
combat forces
get an unprecedented
precision attack
capability, but
taxpayers will
benefit from affordability
gains never before
achieved on a
cruise missile
program."
The
U.S. Air Force
expects to procure
3,700 JASSMs over
the life of the
program, while
the U.S. Navy's
initial procurement
of 453 JASSMs
starts in FY 2007.
JASSM composite
production at
Fiber Innovations’ Massachusetts
plant will increase
from 15 people
today to 50 people
when the program
reaches full rate
production.
Fiber
Innovations is
a qualified supplier
of composite structures
for aerospace
and defense applications.
The company employs
a combination
of braiding and
woven fabric performs
with the RTM and
VaRTM molding
process to provide
its customers
with automated,
low cost, high
quality structural
parts.
Contact:
Garrett
C. Sharpless,
President
Fiber
Innovations
Tel:
508-660-2622,
Fax: 508-660-6662
E-mail: gary.sharpless@fiberinnovations.com
www.edocorp.com
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