19 juillet 2019 | International, Aérospatial
By COLIN CLARK
WASHINGTON: Presumptive Defense Secretary Mark Esper says flatly the F-35 “is not expected” to meet the 80 percent readiness goal set for it this year because of problems with a cockpit part that improves stealth performance.
“Transparency (canopy) supply shortages continue to be the main obstacle to achieving this. We are seeking additional sources to fix unserviceable canopies,” Esper said in response to written questions from the Senate Armed Services Committe (SASC).
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) mentioned the canopy issue in a recent report, calling it a “special coating on the F-35 canopy that enables the aircraft to maintain its stealth.” That, the congressional watchdog said. “failed more frequently than expected” so F-35 prime contractor Lockheed Martin went looking for more manufactures to produce enough canopies to meet demands. GAO also said the F-35 program was considering a new design.
This is all apiece with the general problem the F-35 program has had with obtaining new and spare parts.
“A key contributor to spare parts shortages is the F-35 program's limited capacity to repair broken parts,” the GAO says in its April report. “The average time to repair an F-35 part was more than 6 months, or about 188 days for repairs completed between September and November 2018—more than twice that of the program's objective of 60-90 days.”
Lockheed late last night sent comments on the transparency and its general efforts to improve F-35 readiness.
UPDATE BEGINS “We are working closely with our F-35 transparency provider to build production and repair capacity and we are standing up a second source of supply. As these actions deliver results, we expect to improve supply availability and overall fleet readiness,” F-35 program spokesman Mike Friedman said,
“We continue to see improvements in F-35 readiness rates and are receiving positive feedback from our customers, most recently from the Air Force who have several squadrons simultaneously deployed in the Middle East and across Europe for joint exercises and operations,” Friedman added. “Newer F-35 aircraft are averaging greater than 60 percent mission capable rates, with some operational squadrons consistently at or above 70 percent. We're taking aggressive action across the full F-35 enterprise to achieve the 80 percent mission capable rate target as soon as possible.”UPDATE ENDS
As the SASC noted, former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis ordered the Air Force and Navy to increase mission capable rates for the F-35, F-22, F-16, and F-18 inventories to above 80 percent by the end of September 2019. “What progress,” the committee asked in the written questions, “has the Department made in increasing mission capable rates and decreasing costs for all four platforms?”
The good news for the Air Force is that F-16 rates are better because the service has been able to increase parts supplies and add maintenance shifts. The F-16 fleet is expected to meet the 80 percent goal this year, Esper wrote.
Not so, the F-22. It too faces stealth maintenance issue, made worse, Esper noted, “by the extreme damage at Tyndall Air Force Base from the effects of Hurricane Michael.” The F-22 fleet rates are improving but it probably won't make 80 percent this year. Oh, and Congress: “Improving mission capable rates for both fleets required additional funding investment for this fiscal year.”
The Navy's fleet of F-18 is on track to meet the goal by September 2019. The Navy created a Maintenance Operations Center (MOC) to coordinate maintenance activities and optimize resources and reformed its depot and front-line maintenance process, thus improving regular inspections. Among a host of other changes, the Navy implemented supply chain reform that made it easier to track data across multiple sources.
In the meantime, to address the gap in part repair capabilities at the military depots, the prime contractor Boeing has begun incentivizing manufacturers to increase their capacity to repair spare parts by establishing performance-based repair agreements. As of October 2018, according to program documentation, Boeing had established seven such agreements, with six more planned by May 2019.
I contacted Lockheed and the F-35 Joint Program Office for comment and will add it when it arrives.
https://breakingdefense.com/2019/07/esper-f-35-wont-hit-80-readiness-cites-stealth-parts/
18 février 2021 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre, C4ISR, Sécurité
The International Defence Exhibition and Conference is opening its doors to trade exhibitors and visitors Feb. 21-25, with more than 1,300 vendors as well as five countries participating for the first time.
23 juillet 2020 | International, Naval
By: David B. Larter WASHINGTON – The shipyard presiding over the renovations on the amphibious assault ship Bonhomme Richard when it caught fire July 12 was awarded a $10 million contract modification for their efforts with firefighting and follow-on clean up. The contract with General Dynamics NASSCO San Diego was among those announced Wednesday in the Defense Department's daily roundup. The work includes “USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD-6) emergency firefighting support, dewatering, safety and initial clean-up efforts,” the announcement reads, and will be completed by November of this year. The fire, which broke out July 12, began in the lower vehicle storage area amidships and damaged 11 of the Bonhomme Richard's 14 decks, according to a letter to all Navy flag officers and master chiefs obtained by Defense News. The Navy has said there was no known welding or other “hot work” going on at the time of the fire, and it is unclear what caused the blaze. The Navy is conducting a safety investigation, which are not usually releasable to the public to encourage witnesses to speak freely, and a more formal administrative investigation accompanied by accountability recommendations that can be released. The Navy's top officer Adm. Michael Gilday told Defense News in a July 16 interview he was committed to transparency in the investigation. This is a very, very serious incident that I think will force the Navy to stand back and reevaluate itself,” Gilday said. “We've got to follow the facts, we've got to be honest with ourselves and we've got to get after it. My intention, once the investigations are done, is to make this available for the public to debate, including what we need to do to get after any systemic problems that we might have.” https://www.defensenews.com/naval/2020/07/22/san-diego-shipyard-inks-10-million-contract-for-bonhomme-richard-firefighting-and-cleanup/
19 février 2019 | International, Aérospatial, Naval, Terrestre
By: Jeff Martin ABU DHABI--In a massive announcement, the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces announced more than $1.3 billion in both orders for new equipment and sustainment of existing ones at the 2019 International Defense Exhibition (IDEX) in Abu Dhabi. Some of the highlights include $355 million worth of Patriot interceptors for the UAE Air Force and Air Defense Force, a $39 million award to the Russian Joint Stock Company for EM150 Kornet antitank missiles for the UAE Army, and a $109 million deal with Lockheed Martin to upgrade radars in the UAE Air Force, presumably for the country's F-16 fighter fleet. The deals, announced on the first day of the massive exposition in the UAE's capital city, also included more than $300 million worth of awards to local companies. Highlights included a $2.1 million contract with NIMR automotive for vehicle maintenance and a $15 million deal with Al Fattan Ship Industries to purchase an unnamed amount of vessels for the UAE Navy. In total, 15 of the 33 deals announced, totalling $1.05 billion, were with international companies, while 18, totalling $300 million, were with local countries. The makeup of the announced deals also offers a window into the unique place in the world's militaries that the UAE occupies, operating a mix of America, European, Russian, and Chinese equipment. What's notable is that at past shows like IDEX, many announced deals for the UAE Armed Forces were for new equipment, but this year, a vast majority were for support. That marks a big shift as the UAE appears to be pivoting to supporting existing systems, not just buying new ones continually. https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/idex/2019/02/18/united-arab-emirates-announces-13-billion-in-defense-deals-at-idex