German defence company Rheinmetall plans to cooperate with Lufthansa on the production and maintenance of U.S. F-35 fighter jets, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.

Bavaria-based ESG, which manufactures security systems, will also be part of the cooperation, which is expected to be formally agreed on Sept. 19, according to the report, citing industry sources.

Rheinmetall was not immediately available for comment, while Lufthansa declined to comment on the report.

In February, Rheinmetall signed a letter of intent with defence contractors Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman under which the Duesseldorf-based company would manufacture parts for the fuselage of the stealth multirole combat aircraft. (Reporting by Anneli Palmen; writing by Miranda Murray; editing by Jason Neely)