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Release # 05-07-01
by Martie Cenkci

An M2 Global supervisor checks out a part made by the company for the F-35 Lightning II.

When a recent graduate of the Air Force's Manufacturing Technical Assistance Production Program (MTAPP) received its AS 9100 certification late last year, little did the company know how far that accomplishment would take them.  The combination of the training provided by MTAPP – and the aerospace quality standard certification the program helped them obtain – not only opened doors for the company, but also put them on a vector to the future.

M2 Global Technology, Ltd., a San Antonio-based Service-disabled Veteran-owned small business manufacturer, caught the eye of Lockheed Martin as a result of their MTAPP experience.  M2 Global was soon chosen by Lockheed Martin to manufacture parts for the F-35 Lightning II, Joint Strike Fighter.

"We are working on more than 100 different parts for eight airframes at present," said Douglas Carlberg, M2 Global's CEO.  "We started out with clips and brackets – that might sound simple, but I promise you it's not! – and received kudos for our work.  The result was that we were recommended to the Lockheed Martin machining parts division.  Now we are machining a number of highly complex parts for the aircraft."

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics' Small Business Director, Sam Evans, said M2 Global has a solid reputation within the company.  "M2 Global's delivery, quality, and cost performance has been very reliable, exemplifying what we need from suppliers on our key programs."

The spin-off from manufacturing these parts also provides work for M2 Global with Lockheed Martin on parts for the F-22 Raptor and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

"We are proud to be a part of the Air Force's present – by maintaining the F-22 and F-16 to meet today's operational needs – as well as a part of the industry team that will help build the Air Force of the future," Carlberg said.

MTAPP is an Air Force small business program that focuses on increasing and enhancing the competitiveness of small manufacturing firms in support of the Air Force and Department of Defense supply chain missions, according to Lt Col William Blakeman, MTAPP chief.

"MTAPP identifies small manufacturing firms as potential suppliers for Air Force and DoD programs, assesses their capabilities to provide services and commodities, and provides individualized technical assistance," he noted.  M2 Global, as one of our MTAPP graduate companies, is an outstanding example of multiple benefits generated by this program.  M2 Global is a Service-disabled Veteran-owned small business that has been helped by the Air Force, and now directly supports our priority of recapitalizing and modernizing our Air Force."

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (U.S. Air Force art by Ken Chandler)

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will be produced in three versions, one each for the Air Force, Navy, and Marines.  It also is being developed in partnership with several Allied nations.  The Air Force version will feature a conventional takeoff and landing.  The aircraft will fly both suppression of enemy air defenses and destruction of enemy air defenses missions.  Additionally, it can fly counter-air, strategic attack, close air support and defensive counter-air missions.  It is primarily intended to replace the F-16.

The U.S. military plans to purchase about 2400 of the aircraft (and partner countries, about 500 to 600), with production scheduled from 2007 to 2034.

This translates into a project that steers M2 Global's course right into the future.




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