Belgium formally acquired its first F-35 Lightning II fighter jet throughout a ceremony on the Jean Offenberg Air Base in Florennes on October 13. The occasion not solely celebrated the arrival of the plane, but in addition marked a significant step within the nation’s protection modernization and the beginning of a brand new industrial partnership tied to the plane’s engine, one which additionally brings additive manufacturing (AM) into Belgium’s rising aerospace provide chain.
As a part of the ceremony, the Belgian authorities signed an settlement with Pratt & Whitney, an RTX subsidiary that builds the F135 engine utilized in all F-35 jets. The deal ensures that two Belgian corporations, Safran Aero Boosters and BMT Aerospace, will produce key engine elements utilizing superior manufacturing strategies, together with 3D printing. The collaboration expands Belgium’s position within the international F-35 provide chain, connecting the nation’s aerospace trade to one of the vital superior protection and manufacturing networks on this planet.
Pratt & Whitney’s F135 engine core. Picture courtesy of RTX/Pratt & Whitney.
A Increase for Belgian Trade
Below the settlement, Safran Aero Boosters, primarily based in Wallonia, will begin producing essential components for the F135 engine. On the identical time, BMT Aerospace, positioned in Flanders, will work with Safran to introduce a brand new and extra environment friendly technique to manufacture a number of of the engine’s most important elements.
The partnership builds on years of joint analysis and improvement between the 2 corporations, which have been working collectively to strengthen Belgium’s capacity to provide superior components for the F135 engine. The brand new deal is the results of shut cooperation between Belgium’s federal and regional governments (in each Wallonia and Flanders) to develop industrial abilities, promote innovation in aerospace manufacturing, and create new jobs within the protection sector.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Employment and Financial system David Clarinval described the F-35 program as “greater than a army acquisition; it’s a strategic funding in Belgium’s safety, sovereignty, and industrial energy.” He additionally identified that partnerships like this one “help innovation, strengthen the competitiveness of our corporations, and show the wonderful cooperation with our American ally.”
Belgium’s Minister of Protection, Theo Francken, added that the partnership “ensures Belgian innovation in an integral part: the F-35’s engine,” mentioning that the financial advantages prolong past Lockheed Martin, the plane’s main producer.
Regional Collaboration and Financial Return
The settlement additionally marks an essential step in cooperation between Belgium’s two areas, Wallonia and Flanders. Belgium has lengthy been divided alongside linguistic traces, with French-speaking Wallonia within the south and Dutch-speaking Flanders within the north. By bringing collectively Safran Aero Boosters and BMT Aerospace, the mission helps bridge these regional and language variations, connecting the nation’s industrial strengths in a method that’s each politically and symbolically essential.
Safran Aero Boosters CEO François Lepot mentioned the settlement “illustrates the federal government’s robust political dedication to Belgium’s sovereignty and job creation within the nation. It means the Belgian industrial sector will play a key, strategic position within the provide chain of this iconic plane program.”
BMT Aerospace CEO Benoit Reynders described the partnership as proof of how “innovation and cooperation between areas can ship world-class capabilities. For BMT Aerospace, this mission not solely strengthens our long-standing experience in high-precision components, but in addition secures long-term industrial exercise and expert jobs in Flanders.”
The F135 engine core. Picture courtesy of RTX/Pratt & Whitney.
The Expertise Behind the F-35’s Energy
The Pratt & Whitney F135 is likely one of the most superior fighter jet engines ever constructed. It powers all three variations of the F-35 Lightning II, offering greater than 40,000 kilos of thrust. The engine’s effectivity and reliability are key to the plane’s efficiency, which incorporates stealth functionality, supersonic pace, and superior mission flexibility.
By becoming a member of the F135 engine program, the 2 Belgian corporations will assist make components that require nice precision and robust supplies. Each Safran and BMT Aerospace have a few years of expertise working in these high-tech areas.
The F135 engine core. Picture courtesy of RTX/Pratt & Whitney.
As a part of the Safran Group, Safran Aero Boosters makes a speciality of low-pressure compressors, oil programs, and take a look at cells for plane propulsion. Its know-how helps each civil plane and area launch automobiles, resembling Ariane, and the corporate continues to increase its use of superior manufacturing applied sciences, together with steel AM, to provide lighter and extra environment friendly elements for plane engines and compressors.
In the meantime, BMT Aerospace, headquartered in Belgium with operations in Romania and the USA, produces gears, transmissions, and actuators for main aerospace packages. The corporate has additionally been growing 3D printing functions to enhance manufacturing flexibility and efficiency. Collectively, each corporations convey completely different strengths to this system: Safran Aero Boosters focuses on engine components, whereas BMT Aerospace makes precision gears and transmissions. Each are additionally utilizing 3D printing to enhance how aerospace elements are made.
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