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San Dimas, Calif., Firm Contracts for Military Fighter Aircraft Project, NASA

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 January 2004, 06:00 CST

Jan. 14--One San Dimas company's work soon will be seen on a series of fighter aircraft, and is already being used millions of miles above the reach of traditional airplanes.

Mikana Manufacturing Co. Inc., a manufacturer of metal machine parts and assemblies and an engineering services provider, recently won a 10-year, multimillion-dollar contract from Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin Corp. to produce structural airframe components for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

The F-35 family includes three aircraft under development that eventually will be used by the United States Air Force, the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, as well as the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, said John Smith, a spokesman for Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program.

The aircraft likely will be ready for operation in four to five years, he said.

Mikana, which has worked with Lockheed Martin for about 15 years, is one of 35 companies worldwide chosen to work on the program, said Michael Allawos, Mikana's president and owner.

"This puts us on a world stage, if you will, because there are roughly nine countries in the world that are partners in this," said the 41-year-old Glendora resident.

While the company has competed globally in the past, Allawos said this contract, awarded Nov. 26, stands out.

"This is different because now you have different countries that have vested interests in the program, which from an aggressive standpoint and a political standpoint, is a different ballgame," he said.

Mikana said it plans to hire and train new employees, as well as let contracts "to support outside vendors' throughout the life of the contract.

While about 60 percent of Mikana's business stems from the aerospace industry, the company also works in other industries, including the medical and semiconductor industries, Allawos said.

Privately held Mikana's clients include companies and organizations such as Chicago-based Boeing Co., Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada Flintridge, which is operated by Pasadena-based Caltech, and Pomona-based California Medical Innovations.

Mikana recently supplied 54 "very high-tech, high-tolerance' parts for NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Project, Allawos said.

NASA's Spirit rover landed on the surface of Mars on Jan. 3.

Contributing to the building of the craft "was just a wonderful experience," Allawos said, adding the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory "had a wonderful can-do team effort.'

So what is it like to work on with such high-profile clients?

Allawos said the experience is at first "awe-inspiring.'

"It's just a wonderful feeling that you're a part of something you can see, like an airplane or a rocket or something of that nature..," he said. "But then, as the minutiae of the day runs on, you're under the same pressures that any other business would be to deliver first-class products.'

On the horizon for Mikana is its own line of products, a project that is in the research and development phase, Allawos said.

"We want to be more in control of our future," he said.

And for Allawos, that future seems very bright.

"(In) five years, I would actually like to see us as a mini Northrop or a mini Boeing or Lockheed," he said.

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To see more of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.sgvtribune.com

(c) 2004, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Calif. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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