Terma to Develop and Produce F-35 JSF Test Pods

, GRENAA, Denmark: Danish defense company Terma and Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, Texas, have entered into a contract worth USD 6.5 million for the design, development, integration, testing, and production of seven test pods for the F-35 Lightning II, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter. 
 
The DART pod will be used for Data Acquisition, Recording, and Telemetry during flight testing of all F-35 variants. In addition to the test pods, Terma will manufacture equipment and nose-boom installations for the test program. 
 
Terma is contracted to supply Lockheed Martin with the seven pods under the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) phase of the JSF program. The pods will contain equipment to be utilized during test flights. The DART pods will be placed in the internal weapon storage area inside the aircraft. 
 
The contract represents a considerable future potential for Terma as a need for up to 20 additional units is expected within the following Low Rate Initial Production phase (LRIP). 
 
Terma is a proven developer of reconnaissance pods and aeronautic structures for high-performance military aircraft. Terma has demonstrated its technical capability, reputation for quality, and manufacturing proficiency for many aircraft programs, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon.  
 
Terma A/S is headquartered at Lystrup, Denmark with subsidiaries and offices in a number of European countries and in the USA. The company has a staff of 1,000, and during 2005/06, had a USD 150 million turnover with an 87 per cent export share. 
 
Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.A., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration, and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The corporation reported 2005 sales of USD 37.2 billion.