Fokker Forges Ahead

Around the world, there are a number of thriving aircraft manufacturers that have been built up on the basis of initiative, hard work, and government support. A few years ago it was fashionable to compare the sad examples of Australia’s GAF, CAC, and HdeH with Sweden’s much more successful Saab, although the latter company suffered from the problem of a heavy military bias, which it Is now trying to correct. More instructive examples may be France’s Reims Aviation, which manufactures many Cessna models for Europe, Africa and Asia, and Brazil’s Embraer, which is now the most powerful aircraft manufacturer in the southern hemisphere, due largely to its government’s protectionist policy.

However, the classic case of a successful aerospace manufacturer in a country virtually identical in population to Australia is Holland’s Fokker. This company (N. V. Koninklijke Nederlandse Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker) now employs 9500 people at its six factories and is in full production with not only the F27 and F28 but also the General Dynamics F16 for the air forces of the Netherlands and Norway. Fokker also makes parts for the Airbus A300 and A310, and for the Shorts 330 and 360, in addition to its space and miscellaneous other interests. The plan to develop and build the 150-seat MDF-100 in partnership with McDonnell Douglas has recently been abandoned due to the difficult conditions now prevalent in the air transport industry, but Fokker is intent on maintaining its well-established position in commercial aviation, both through the further development of the F27 and F28, and by means of new projects.

The writer was therefore especially pleased to accept an invitation to visit Fokker’s Schiphol (Amsterdam) facilities, to report for AUSTRALIAN AVIATION on the company’s current activities, with special reference to the F27 Maritime, and on the future options open to the company.

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