Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) was named “Elite Supplier” by Lockheed Martin for the third consecutive year. Lockheed Martin’s recognition of IAI dates back to 2002 when IAI developed a solution in response to a challenge posed by Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky division: 20 percent weight reduction and lowering the price of the horizontal folding stabilizers of the Black Hawk helicopter in UH/HH-60M configuration. IAI remains the sole supplier of this product to Lockheed Martin.
The horizontal folding stabilizer is a proprietary IAI development made of composite materials. It controls the ascending and descent of the helicopter. To date, IAI has manufactured over 4,000 stabilizers which are mounted in all the helicopters of the U. S. military. The composite materials consist of graphite fibers that have been saturated with resin to enable molding an assembly that maintains the same physical properties and strength of the product. From a maintenance perspective, this is a highly durable product that withstands corrosion and erosion while being as strong as metal.