Defense Speak Interpreted: If CHIPS Cuts Back, What Happens to Electronics Packaging Funds?
American Made Advocacy: Where’s the Budget for a Modern Military Run on Microelectronics?
Beyond the Board: Orbital High Ground—Why Space Superiority Is Slipping Away
Spirit AeroSystems Joins Lockheed Martin Skunk Works to Unveil Digital Engineering Transformation
August 17, 2021 | Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.Estimated reading time: 1 minute
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc., has joined with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works® to unveil Polaris, a digital engineering and advanced assembly demonstrator that was used to validate improvements in product development from initial design to final assembly, at an event on August 10 in Palmdale, California.
“Spirit AeroSystems is proud we were selected by Lockheed Martin to demonstrate the integration of a Tier 1 supplier into their Integrated Digital Environment (IDE), and then utilize that environment to validate advanced production processes on a demonstration platform,” said Duane Hawkins, senior vice president; president, Defense and Space Division. “The IDE and its advanced production processes, including Full Size-Hole Determinant Assembly (FSDA), will form the foundation of how future defense programs are executed, and revolutionize the speed at which new products can be brought to market.”
The Spirit Defense and Space Division integrated commercial best practices around digital design and manufacturing seamlessly into the Lockheed Martin IDE, enabling the collaborative development of production-ready solutions that build on the strengths of both the Spirit AeroSystems and Lockheed Martin teams.
“This reduced project execution cost and time by enabling parallel engineering development and operations planning, facilitating the team’s ability to clearly communicate and ensure consistency of requirements, and to identify integration challenges before parts and tools were ever released for fabrication,” Hawkins said.
This integration allows design and production optimization to occur simultaneously instead of as sequential discreet events, enabling production programs to progress down the learning curve prior to first-unit build. As a result of the Lockheed Martin and Spirit AeroSystems collaboration, advanced production processes were designed, planned, simulated, executed, and validated, leading to a 70% reduction in required assembly hours and a 95% increase in initial quality.
RELATED ARTICLE: Lockheed Martin Unveils Intelligent, Flexible Factory at the Skunk Works in Palmdale, California
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Honeywell-Led Consortium Receives UK Government Funding to Revolutionize Aerospace Manufacturing
09/02/2025 | HoneywellA consortium led by Honeywell has received UK Government funding for a project that aims to revolutionize how critical aerospace technologies are manufactured in the UK through the use of AI and additive manufacturing.
Coherent Announces Agreement to Sell Aerospace and Defense Business to Advent for $400 Million
08/15/2025 | AdventCoherent Corp., a global leader in photonics, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its Aerospace and Defense business to Advent, a leading global private equity investor, for $400 million. Proceeds will be used to reduce debt, which will be immediately accretive to Coherent’s EPS.
KYZEN Partners with LPW to Elevate High Purity Cleaning with Cutting-Edge Cyclic Nucleation Technology in North America
08/13/2025 | KYZEN'KYZEN, a global leader in advanced cleaning solutions, has reached a major milestone in high-purity cleaning with the addition of a state-of-the-art Vacuum Cyclic Nucleation System at its North American Application Lab.
Jeh Aerospace Raises $11M to Boost Aircraft Supply Chain
08/12/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamJeh Aerospace, the high-precision aerospace and defense manufacturing startup founded by Vishal Sanghavi and Venkatesh Mudragalla, has raised $11 million in a Series A round led by Elevation Capital, with support from General Catalyst, to scale its commercial aircraft supply chain manufacturing in India, according to OEM.
New Frontier Aerospace and Air Force Institute of Technology Sign CRADA to Advance Hypersonic VTOL Aircraft
08/05/2025 | PR NewswireNew Frontier Aerospace (NFA) is excited to announce a Collaborative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) aimed at advancing an innovative rocket-powered hypersonic Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft.