Tag: f-35 (Page 1 of 2)

Pentagon and Lockheed Martin Agree To F-35 Sustainment Contracts

September 16, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — The F-35 Joint Program Office awarded the Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) industry team annualized contracts covering fiscal years 2021-2023 to support operations and sustainment of the global F-35 fleet, supporting mission readiness and further reducing costs.

The annual contracts fund critical sustainment activities for aircraft currently in the fleet and build enterprise capacity to support the future fleet of more than 3,000 F-35 aircraft. This includes industry sustainment experts supporting base and depot maintenance, pilot and maintainer training, and sustaining engineering for the U.S. and our allies across the globe. It also covers fleet-wide data analytics and supply chain management for part repair and replenishment to enhance overall supply availability for the fleet.

The FY2021-2023 contracts represent a planned next step in further reducing overall operations and support costs for the F-35 program, which are shared between government and industry. Lockheed Martin has reduced our cost per flight hour by 44% in the past five years, with a forecasted reduction of an additional 40% in the next five years. The cost savings in the FY21-23 annualized sustainment contracts support Lockheed Martin’s efforts to realize these goals. The savings will be achieved through improved cost and velocity in our supply chain, continued reliability improvements, and greater manpower efficiencies to provide product support solutions across the growing, global fleet. We remain committed to partnering with our customers and teammates to drive F-35 sustainment costs down.

The contracts also pave the way for a longer-term, Performance Based Logistics (PBL) agreement for the F-35 program. PBLs are an industry best practice, facilitating agile sustainment solutions for the fleet and incentivizing even further affordability and performance results.

The F-35 Joint Program Office, together with each U.S. service, international operators and the F-35 industry team, leads F-35 sustainment and the Global Support Solution. The 2021 annualized sustainment contract will cover industry sustainment activities through Dec. 31, 2021.

Lockheed Martin Announces Johnstown Facility To Build Parts For New F-16’s

September 2, 2021 / WIL BALDWIN

JOHNSTOWN, Pennsylvania, Sept. 2, 2021 — Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) announced today it would bring new F-16 manufacturing work to its facility in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The work will generate 80 new jobs in the city and the company plans to lease a new building to accommodate it.

Wayne Davis, director at Lockheed Martin’s Johnstown site, says Lockheed Martin continues to see demand for new F-16s around the world, requiring development of additional parts manufacturing sites to ensure it can keep up with demand.

F-16 parts to be produced in Johnstown include the aft engine access covers, engine access doors, F-1 fuel tank, and inlet. Upon completion in Johnstown, the parts will be shipped to Greenville, South Carolina, for final assembly and integration into the F-16s on the production line. This is in addition to F-16 component and sub-assembly work already performed at the site today.

Early work in Johnstown will kick off this year, with the bulk of hiring and other significant efforts beginning in 2022. In addition to the F-16 work, the Johnstown facility also provides parts and services for the F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and the C-130 military transport aircraft.

In addition to the nearly 400 jobs already in place at the site today, Lockheed Martin maintains a strong presence in the Johnstown community, giving more than $42,000 to local organizations and efforts last year.

Airbus and Germany Submit Eurofighter Offer to Switzerland

November 23, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

On the heels of the U.S. government and Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) formal submission of a F-35 proposal to the Swiss government in support of Switzerland’s New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition, Airbus and Germany have now followed suit.

You can view the details of the Airbus and Germany submission below!

EN-Airbus-Press-Release

F-35 Proposal Submitted To Swiss Government

November 22, 2020 / WIL BALDWIN

The U.S. government and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) submitted an F-35 proposal to the Swiss government in support of Switzerland’s New Fighter Aircraft (NFA) competition.

The F-35 proposal is a total package offering that includes up to 40 F-35A aircraft, a sustainment solution tailored to Swiss autonomy requirements, and a comprehensive training program.

The offering includes an industrial package providing Swiss industry substantial F-35 work opportunities. Should the F-35 be selected as the new fighter for Switzerland, this industrial work would take place in all Swiss regions. Swiss industry has the opportunity to compete for direct production of components for use on all F-35s produced, sustainment projects focused on supporting the Swiss Air Force and enhancing Swiss autonomy, and cyber security projects directly related to the F-35.

The offer uses the F-35 Global Support Solution for sustainment to ensure Switzerland benefits from the European F-35 economies of scale to realize lower sustainment costs for the Swiss Air Force. It also includes a six-month spares package to ensure the Swiss Air Force has the ability to conduct autonomous operations, if needed. Lockheed Martin is also offering an option for the assembly of four aircraft in Switzerland to ensure the Swiss Air Force and Swiss industry gain an understanding of how to maintain the F-35 airframe and its advanced capabilities for the life of the program.

“We are confident that our F-35 offer is the best and most affordable solution for the Swiss NFA competition,” said Greg Ulmer, F-35 Program vice president and general manager. “We are offering the only 5^th generation fighter at the cost of 4^th generation aircraft while offering Switzerland an aircraft that will protect Swiss sovereignty for decades to come.”

To date, the F-35 has been selected by 13 nations and operates from 26 bases worldwide, with nine nations operating F-35s on their home soil. There are more than 585 F-35s in service today, with more than 1,190 pilots and 9,750 maintainers trained on the aircraft.

Sikorsky Introduces RAIDER X™, A NextGen Light-Attack Reconnaissance Helicopter

October 16, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), today introduced RAIDER X™, its concept for an agile, lethal and survivable compound coaxial helicopter, specifically designed for securing vertical lift dominance against evolving peer and near-peer threats on the future battlefield. Through the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program, RAIDER Xis the out-front platform in the Service’s revolutionary approach for rapid development and delivery of game changing technology and warfighter capabilities, equipped for the most demanding and contested environments. RAIDER X enables the reach, protection and lethality required to remain victorious in future conflicts.

“RAIDER X converges everything we’ve learned in years of developing, testing and refining X2 Technology and delivers warfighters a dominant, survivable and intelligent system that will excel in tomorrow’s battlespace where aviation overmatch is critical,” said Frank St. John, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Rotary and Mission Systems. “The X2 Technology family of aircraft is a low-risk solution and is scalable based on our customers’ requirements.”

RAIDER X draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. Sikorsky’s RAIDER X prototype offers:

Exceptional Performance: The X2 rigid rotor provides increased performance including; highly responsive maneuverability, enhanced low-speed hover, off-axis hover, and level acceleration and braking. These attributes make us unbeatable at the X.
Agile, Digital Design: State-of-the-art digital design and manufacturing is already in use on other Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky production programs such as CH-53K, CH-148 and F-35, and will enable the Army to not only lower the acquisition cost, but enable rapid, affordable upgrades to stay ahead of the evolving threat.
Adaptability: Modern open systems architecture (MOSA)-based avionics and mission systems, offering “plug-and-play” options for computing, sensors, survivability and weapons, benefiting lethality and survivability, operational mission tailoring and competitive acquisitions.
Sustainable/Maintenance: Designed to decrease aircraft operating costs by utilizing new technologies to shift from routine maintenance and inspections to self-monitoring and condition-based maintenance, which will increase aircraft availability, reduce sustainment footprint forward and enable flexible maintenance operating periods.
Growth/Mission Flexibility: Focused on the future and ever evolving threat capabilities, X2 compound coaxial technology provides unmatched potential and growth margin for increased speed, combat radius and payload. This potential and growth margin further enables operational mission flexibility which includes a broader range of aircraft configurations and loadouts to accommodate specific mission requirements.

The nationwide supply team that Sikorsky has comprised to build RAIDER X will join company leaders today to introduce RAIDER X during the annual conference of the Association of the United States Army in Washington, D.C.

“RAIDER X is the culmination of decades of development, and a testament to our innovation and passion for solving our customers’ needs,” said Sikorsky President Dan Schultz. “By leveraging the strength of the entire Lockheed Martin Corporation, we will deliver the only solution that gives the U.S. Army the superiority needed to meet its mission requirements.”

Proven X2 Technology: Scalable, Sustainable, Affordable

With RAIDER X, Sikorsky introduces the latest design in its X2 family of aircraft. To date, X2 aircraft have achieved/demonstrated:

Speeds in excess of 250 knots
High altitude operations in excess of 9,000 feet
Low-speed and high-speed maneuver envelopes out to 60+ degrees angle of bank
ADS-33B (Aeronautical Design Standard) Level 1 handling qualities with multiple pilots
Flight controls optimization and vibration mitigation

“The power of X2 is game changing. It combines the best elements of low-speed helicopter performance with the cruise performance of an airplane,” said Sikorsky experimental test pilot Bill Fell, a retired Army pilot who has flown nearly every RAIDER test flight. “Every flight we take in our S-97 RAIDER today reduces risk and optimizes our FARA prototype, RAIDER X.”

The development of X2 Technology and the RAIDER program has been funded entirely by significant investments by Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin and industry partners.

Sikorsky introduced RAIDER X as its entry to the U.S. Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) prototype competition. RAIDER X draws on Lockheed Martin’s broad expertise in developing innovative systems using the latest digital design and manufacturing techniques. Image courtesy, Sikorsky a Lockheed Martin company.

S. Korea Display F-35 Stealth Jets seen by the North as a Threat

September 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

SEOUL, Oct 1 (Reuters) – South Korea showcased newly acquired F-35 stealth fighter jets to mark Armed Forces Day on Tuesday as President Moon Jae-in tried to allay concerns that his policy of engagement with North Korea would weaken the South’s commitment to defence.

At an event marking the founding of the South Korean military, Moon said South Korean fighter jets conducted patrol flights offshore, including over islands at the centre of a bitter territorial dispute with Japan.

North Korea has criticised the South’s weapons procurements and its joint military drills with the U.S. military as undisguised preparations for war that are forcing it to develop new short-range missiles.

Moon has thrown his support behind dialogue to end the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, urging that working-level negotiations between the North and the United States be held soon. No new dates or locations have been set.

Moon marked Armed Forces Day at a ceremony at an airbase in the city of Daegu that highlighted four of the eight Lockheed Martin F-35A jets delivered this year. Forty of the aircraft are to be delivered by 2021.

During the event, an F-15K jet patrolled over the islands claimed by both South Korea and Japan and called Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

Moon made no direction mention of North Korea or Japan but said today’s security climate was highly unpredictable, requiring strength and innovation.

“As the recent drone attack in the Middle East region demonstrated to the world, the challenges that we will face will be entirely different from those of the past,” he said in an address to the military. “The war of the future will be a fight of science and intelligence against all elements that threaten our people’s safety and property.”

Analysts have said the F-35 stealth jets put North Korea’s anti-aircraft and anti-missile defence systems in a vulnerable position.

Negotiations aimed at dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes have stalled since a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un broke down in February over disagreements on denuclearisation.

North Korea blamed the United States on Monday for a failure to restart talks, with Pyongyang’s U.N. ambassador Kim Song saying it was time for Washington to share proposals for talks that showed Washington had adopted a new “calculation method”.

South Korea and the United States have separately begun talks for a new military burden-sharing agreement to decide how much South Korea will pay for stationing what is now about 28,500 U.S. troops in the country.

Moon told Trump during a summit in New York last week what South Korea would contribute, including an increase in purchases of U.S. weapons and future purchase plans, a senior official at South Korea’s presidential office said.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee Editing by Jack Kim, Paul Tait and Gerry Doyle)

Airbus Pulls Out of Canada Fighter Jet Race

August 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Airbus SE <EADSY> on Friday pulled out of a multibillion-dollar competition to supply Canada with 88 new fighter jets, a decision that boosts the chances of rival Lockheed Martin Corp <LMT>.

The defense arm of Airbus, which indicated last month it might withdraw, cited onerous security requirements and a late decision by Ottawa to loosen the rules for how much bidders would have to invest in Canada.

Airbus and other contenders had already complained the government appeared to be tilting the race in favor of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 plane, which the Royal Canadian Air Force wants. Canada is part of the consortium that developed the plane.

Canada launched the long-delayed competition last month and said it was confident no favoritism had been shown. Ottawa says the contract is worth between C$15 billion ($11.30 billion) and C$19 billion.

Canada’s official opposition Conservative Party, which is seeking to defeat Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in an October election, accused the government of gross mismanagement.

Reuters revealed in July that Airbus and Boeing Co <BA.N> had written to Ottawa to say they might pull out.

The firms are unhappy that in late May, the government dropped a demand that bidders must guarantee to give Canadian businesses 100% of the value of the deal in economic benefits.

Such legally watertight commitments, which Boeing, Airbus and Sweden’s Saab AB <SAABb.ST> had already agreed to, contradict rules of the F-35 consortium. Ottawa’s move allowed Lockheed Martin to stay in the competition.

“One of the strongest points of our bid was the fact we were willing to make binding commitments,” said an Airbus source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation.

“Once this was loosened up to a point where these commitments were no longer valued in the same way”, the firm decided “that’s just too much”, added the source, who also cited security challenges.

European jets must show they can meet stringent standards required by the United States, which with Canada operates the North American Aerospace Defense Command.

“NORAD security requirements continue to place too significant of a cost on platforms whose manufacture and repair chains sit outside the United States (and) Canada,” Airbus said in a statement.

Canadian Procurement Minister Carla Qualtrough said she respected the Airbus decision, adding Ottawa was determined there should be a level playing field.

“This included adapting the economic benefits approach to ensure the highest level of participation among suppliers,” she said in emailed comments.

Canada has been trying unsuccessfully for almost a decade to purchase replacements for its aging F-18 fighters. The former Conservative administration said in 2010 it would buy 65 F-35 jets but later scrapped the decision, triggering years of delays and reviews.

Trudeau’s Liberals took power in 2015 vowing not to buy the F-35 on the grounds that it was too costly, but have since softened their line.

“Justin Trudeau has spent the past four years delaying and dithering on new fighter jets for Canada only to completely mismanage the competition process,” said Conservative defense spokesman James Bezan.

Lockheed Martin declined to comment while Boeing and Saab did not respond to requests for comment.

($1 = 1.3275 Canadian dollars)

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by David Gregorio)

Japan’s Military Seek Eighth Straight Annual Defense Spending Hike

August 30, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

TOKYO, Aug 30 (Reuters) – Japan’s military has asked for an eighth straight annual increase in defence spending to help pay for U.S.-made interceptor missiles, stealth fighters, and other equipment it wants to counter threats from North Korea and China.

The Ministry of Defence budget proposal released Friday calls for spending to increase 1.2 percent to a record 5.32 trillion yen ($50.48 billion) in the year starting April 1. Finance ministry officials will scrutinise the request before it is approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet.

Already one of the world’s biggest military spenders despite a constitution that forbids the possession of weapons to attack other countries, Japan has increased military outlays by a tenth over the past seven years. That growth is being driven by alarm over military build ups by its neighbours.

Japan’s spending, much of it on advanced weapons from the United States, has benefited the likes of Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co, and worried local contractors such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries who have seen their share of defence spending shrink.

U.S. President Donald Trump has thanked Japan for buying the expensive U.S. equipment, helping curtail criticism of Japan amid trade tensions between Tokyo and Washington.

For the next fiscal year, Japan’s defense officials have asked for 115.6 billion yen to buy nine Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighters, including for the first time six short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) B variants that it wants to operate from aircraft carriers. That purchase will help Japan project military power by extending the range at which the country’s Self Defense Forces can operate.

The defence ministry also wants 116.3 billion yen to bolster ballistic missile defences (BMD), including money for a new generation of interceptor missiles designed by Raytheon to shoot down incoming warheads in space. It also wants funds for vertical launch systems for ships and two planned ground-based Aegis Ashore radar missile tracking stations.

($1 = 105.3900 yen)

(Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Michael Perry)

Collins Aerospace to Support F-35 and CH-47F Fleets for Royal Netherlands Air Force

August 19, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

Craig Bries, vice president and general manager, Avionics Service and Support for Collins Aerospace and Lieutenant General J.D. Luyt, Commander of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, commemorated the collaboration at a signing ceremony earlier this year.

Collins Aerospace to establish first-of-its-kind F-35 pilot readiness center
Onsite field service engineers will reduce turnaround time for CH-47F fleet

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (Aug. 19, 2019) – Collins Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX), will play an important role in maintaining the readiness of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) F-35 and CH-47F fleets by providing local field service engineers, test capabilities and the first F-35 global pilot readiness center. The company recently signed a multi-platform Letter of Intent with the RNLAF to provide support at both Soesterberg, and Woensdrecht Air Base, The Netherlands.

A highlight of the Letter of Intent is that it foresees a first-of-its-kind pilot readiness center that would provide on-location helmet fitting, flight simulators and altitude chamber training for F-35 pilots. In addition, Collins Aerospace intends to provide local field service engineers and test capabilities at the Woensdrecht Air Base to reduce turnaround time on CH-47Fs and maintain the RNLAF fleet’s readiness levels. Collins Aerospace has an unmatched level of expertise on both platforms as the original equipment manufacturer for the avionics suite of the CH-47F Chinook, and components in the F-35 Helmet and flight simulator.

“Collins Aerospace and the RNLAF are working toward a common goal of supporting the new F-35 pilot readiness center and maximizing the availability of CH-47F avionics,” said Craig Bries, vice president and general manager, Avionics Service and Support for Collins Aerospace. “Our legacy as an avionics leader makes us the perfect partner to help ensure these fleets are ready at a moment’s notice.”

Work to establish the pilot readiness center, and to place local support personnel, is slated to begin in early 2020.

F-35 Lightning II Sustainment Work Comes to Milwaukee

July 15, 2019 / WIL BALDWIN

President Donald J. Trump visited Derco, which maintains one of the largest and most diversified aircraft spares inventories of over 75,000 unique parts, ensuring customers have the parts available to keep their aircraft flying. Photo by: Todd McQueen, Lockheed Martin

MILWAUKEE, July 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — During a visit to Derco, a Lockheed Martin company (NYSE: LMT), President Donald J. Trump announced more work is coming to Milwaukee. Derco will provide parts warehousing and distribution sustainment for the F-35 Lightning II, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy and allies around the world.

“From here in Milwaukee, you are supporting magnificent aircraft, and soon you’ll support the unstoppable, stealth F-35 Lightning II,” said President Trump. “I am thrilled to be back in the great state of Wisconsin with the extraordinary men and women of Derco. We are here today to celebrate the triumphant return of American manufacturing, and everything we are doing to keep the assembly lines rolling.”

Derco is growing its workforce by 15 percent by the end of the year. Because of its culture and skilled workforce, Derco has been named one of the Top Workplaces in Milwaukee for the past four years. Approximately 20 percent of Derco employees are veterans.

Derco initially will support the management and delivery of 1,500 different F-35 parts to locations around the globe. This increased work will create more skilled jobs for repair technicians, operations personnel and supply chain management experts.

The F-35 is the most advanced, survivable and connected fighter jet. The United States’ program of record is for 2,456 aircraft, and Lockheed Martin is set to deliver 1,000 more to allied nations.

To support the growing business, Derco is investing in its facility and is breaking ground to expand the campus. Derco is also looking to add to its 1,200 suppliers to develop repair capabilities for the F-35 in Milwaukee. Currently, the F-35 provides $1.2 million in economic impact across the supply chain in Wisconsin.

Photos of President’s Trump visit to Derco: https://www.smugmug.com/gallery/n-NPRRqk/

For additional information, visit our websites: www.f35.com and www.lockheedmartin.c om/derco

Archives