- The Pentagon has finally declared the F-35 fighter mature enough to enter full rate production.
- The move signals that the plane, and the worldwide enterprise that builds it, is stable and capable.
- The move comes after nearly a 3rd of the planes have already been built.
The Pentagon has given its blessing to the F-35 Lightning II fighter program, clearing the way in which for the jet to shift from a fan of full rate production. The move comes ten years later than originally anticipated—a mirrored image of the plane’s extremely difficult, twenty-year-long development process. Twenty nations are set to field the stealthy strike fighter, buying greater than 3,000 of the planes worldwide.
Sign-off
Last week, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante signed off on advancing the F-35 program to the Milestone C/Full Rate Production phase. The choice signifies that the aircraft, its technology, and the worldwide system of production that builds the jets is stable enough that manufacturers Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney can work on fulfilling orders sooner by expanding production. In theory, this could mean lower prices and more planes for everybody.
The Pentagon states that the choice was made after examining the state of the F-35 program, including the mandated “F-35 Combined Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Live Fire Test and Evaluation Report”—a form of final exam for the aircraft that involved live tests of the plane’s capabilities. The report’s existence was revealed in March by Bloomberg, however the Pentagon has stamped it classified, so nobody without the correct clearance can actually read it.
Years of Delays
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was first conceived within the early 2000s as a single fighter jet with three variants: the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C. The “conventional” F-35A would replace the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the A-10 Thunderbolt II in Air Force service, the vertical takeoff and landing F-35B would replace the Marine Corps’ AV-8B Harrier II and F/A-18 Hornet fighters, and the F-35C carrier takeoff and landing version would serve on US Navy aircraft carriers.
As well as, under a system called concurrency, Lockheed Martin would construct smaller batches of jets for purchasers before full rate production was approved. This could allow the complex, planet-spanning F-35 enterprise—including a worldwide network of parts suppliers, regional repair depots, and the most important F-35 factory in Fort Value, Texas—to warm up in anticipation of full production. The plan acknowledged that the F-35 faced a lengthy development program and, reasonably than wait until the plane was completely done, sought a compromise by pushing jets out the door early.
Once the plane was approved for full rate production, early versions of the jet would get updated hardware and software at regional repair depots. At the identical time, recent upgrades could be planned and executed over the lifetime of the worldwide F-35 fleet, ensuring that a plane first developed within the 2000s could serve into the 2060s.
If this sounds complex, that’s since it was. The U.S. and allies now operate about 900 F-35s in the sphere—they’re divided into three versions, built to different standards, and parked on air fields from Alaska to Norway. All of those jets have to be updated to a standard standard and, importantly, the countries that own these jets must pay for the updates. Concurrency has turned out to be nearly probably the most complicated strategy to construct a fleet of aircraft possible.
Vague Advantages
The choice to enter Full Rate Production was alleged to allow Lockheed Martin to extend production and thus lower prices. Throughout the a few years it was in Low Rate Initial Production, the variety of planes built annually rose to just below 150 (150 being maximum capability), in order that profit actually got here and went several years ago. The Pentagon can also be reducing the variety of F-35s it’s asking for in 2025 from 107 (the previous yr) to simply 86, which can likely increase the associated fee of every aircraft bought.
The choice marks the top of the primary stage of the 70-year F-35 program. For many involved within the worldwide effort, there may be little difference between the day before the choice and the day after. The actual good thing about the choice appears to be psychological—a crossing of the finish line after a protracted and grueling process.