ST. LOUIS, Nov. 12, 1996 -- McDonnell Douglas has established agreements with Derco Aerospace Inc. and Kitco Inc. to provide spare parts and components for F-4 Phantom and A-4 Skyhawk aircraft.
"These two world-famous tactical aircraft will continue to fly the international skies thanks to these customer support agreements," said Bob Browning, director of program development for McDonnell Douglas Aerospace in St. Louis.
Both Derco and Kitco specialize in providing spare parts and components to aircraft customers throughout the world. Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Derco has recently focused on supporting out-of-production tactical aircraft. Kitco, based in Springville, Utah, specializes in defense systems maintenance kit assemblies.
Under a non-exclusive licensing arrangement, McDonnell Douglas has granted Derco and Kitco access to proprietary data on the aircraft and acknowledges that they are authorized international distributors of parts for the two aircraft.
"Both companies have an outstanding customer support program, and the two can assure responsiveness to our customers' needs," Browning said.
The F-4 Phantom, which first flew in 1958, is one of the most successful aircraft ever produced by McDonnell Douglas.
A total of 5,210 F-4s were produced through 1979, representing the largest production run of any supersonic fighter in the Western Hemisphere.
About 950 Phantoms are still in active service in the United States and in Turkey, Greece, Japan, Korea, Germany, Egypt, Spain and Israel. Planned upgrades for some of these aircraft would keep the F-4 operational through 2015.
The A-4 Skyhawk, now retired as a U.S. front-line combat aircraft, was flown by the U.S. Navy and Marines as well as the air forces of several foreign nations. It was originally developed as a carrier-based light attack aircraft.
Between 1954 and 1979, a total of 2,960 A-4 Skyhawks were built by Douglas Aircraft Company. About 260 are still serving in the air forces of such countries as Israel, Singapore, New Zealand and Argentina, and in the U.S. Navy as a trainer.
96-288
McDonnell Douglas
(314) 232-1372