The
major programs to replacing aging aircraft in the U.S. military
fleets in different branches of service are facing some serious
issues. The bidding process for the USAF
tanker replacement has been fraught with political maneuvering
and threats by both parties that are participating with the bidding
process.
At the same time, the F-35 Lightning II Fighter
program is also underway and is one of the most ambitious aircraft
programs to date. The F-35 program is significantly
behind schedule in many aspects and the program is seeing
its costs overrun projections significantly. The F-35B STOVL
fighter broke
the sound barrier for the first time in mid-June, which was
a significant milestone for the program.
Despite the progress
made and the milestones reached, the F-35B STOVL flight tests are
significantly behind schedule and the reason for the delays are due
to parts
that are failing at higher rates than expected. Lockheed Martin
CEO Bob Stevens said at an analysts meeting that the systems and
demonstration phase of the testing program is so far about 80%
complete.
The
parts that are failing on the aircraft causing the delays are not
major systems notes Stevens, but smaller components and subsystems.
The major issue with the smaller components that are failing is that
the repairs require the removal of the engine.
Stevens
said, "The components that are failing are more of the things
that would appear either smaller or more ordinary like thermal
cooling fans, door actuators, selected valves or switches or
components of the power system."
The
program has 19 test aircraft planned and so far 15 of those have been
delivered. Of the planes delivered, only 13 of them are flight
capable with the others designed for structural tests. Nine of the
flight capable aircraft have together performed 136 test flights
reports Defense
Tech.
The F35-B STOVL version has itself made 74 flights.
There are
an additional 31 F-35 aircraft in various stages of completion
according to Stevens. Lockheed is working with suppliers to determine
the cause of the part failures. The inquiry into the parts failures
will determine if the parts need to be redesigned, if the failures
are due to manufacturing issues, or if more spare parts are needed
for the program.
