29 mai 2020 | International, Aérospatial

F-35 Costs Drop for Building Jets But Rise for Operating Them

By

29 mai 2020 à 04:00 UTC−4

The Pentagon's costliest program, Lockheed Martin Corp.'s F-35, is starting to look a little less expensive, with the latest estimate for development and procurement down 7.1% to $397.8 billion.

Less encouraging for the lawmakers who craft defense budgets and for taxpayers: Operating and maintaining the fleet for 66 years is projected to cost $1.182 trillion, a 7.8% increase over the estimate from the Pentagon's F-35 office last year, according to the Defense Department's annual assessment of the jet obtained by Bloomberg News.

The lower acquisition estimate produced by the F-35 program office is the latest in a string of good news that also includes improved on-time delivery of aircraft, the elimination of all flaws that were considered life-threatening to pilots and a steady reduction since 2018 in the number of potentially mission-crippling software deficiencies.

The Selected Acquisition Report, which hasn't been released to the public, also said the F-35 program anticipates sales over time of 809 aircraft to international partners, up from the 764 projected last year.

Cumulatively, the improvements might protect the F-35 from pressure to cut defense budgets as the federal deficit balloons due to spending for the Covid-19 pandemic. The Pentagon is already projecting mostly flat budgets through 2025.

Even under the current budget forecast, the Pentagon report discloses that previous plans to buy 94 F-35s in fiscal 2022 will be reduced by nine. The blueprint then calls for buying 94 each year in fiscal 2023 and 2024 and 96 in fiscal 2025. Those are up from the 79 requested for fiscal 2021.

The report was prepared in December before the coronavirus pandemic crippled the global economy. Lockheed announced last week that Covid-19 impacts will temporarily slow F-35 production because of subcontractor parts delays and that the Bethesda, Maryland-based company might fail to deliver as many as 24 of a planned 141 jets this year.

Earlier: Lockheed Slows F-35 Production on Covid-Related Parts Delays

More than 500 of a potential 3,200 F-35s for the U.S. and allies already have been delivered and will have to be retrofitted as flaws are fixed, at a cost of as much as $1.4 billion. The F-35 is in the final stages of intense combat testing to demonstrate it's effective against the most advanced Russian, Chinese and Iranian threats.

Lockheed spokesman Brett Ashworth said the report “highlights our ability to work with our partners to produce the world's most advanced fighter at the cost of legacy aircraft” the F-35 is intended to replace. Brandi Schiff, a spokeswoman for the Pentagon's F-35 program office, declined to comment on the report before its release.

The Pentagon assessment says that updating its numbers based on actual production performance data by Lockheed and its subcontractors, rather than projections, resulted in the reduction in acquisition cost estimates. For example, the “unit flyaway cost” of an F-35 for the Air Force's version of the fighter, not including the engine, declined by $12.1 million to $57.4 million. The Air Force plans to purchase 1,763 jets, the most of the U.S.'s planned 2,456 aircraft. The Marine Corps version dropped to $72.1 million from $80 million, and the Navy model fell to $72.3 million from $79.5 million.

None of that resolves the projected long-term trillion-dollar burden of operating and sustaining the fleet through 2077.

Outlining the stakes, then-acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said in March 2019 that “this is the largest program in DoD history and the cost of sustainment is about the same cost as nuclear modernization.”

In the new report the F-35 program office said that it “remains committed to and continues pursuing multiple efforts to drive down” those costs.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-29/f-35-costs-drop-for-building-jets-but-rise-for-operating-them

Sur le même sujet

  • Leonardo DRS Wins Contract worth up to $808 Million to Provide C5ISR Interconnection Equipment

    12 février 2020 | International, Terrestre, C4ISR

    Leonardo DRS Wins Contract worth up to $808 Million to Provide C5ISR Interconnection Equipment

    Arlington, Va, February 10, 2020 - Leonardo DRS, Inc. announced today that it has been awarded a contract worth up to $808 million to provide a suite of electronic products to link C5ISR equipment to combat vehicles across the armed services and to satisfy interconnection requirements for federal agencies. Under the indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity Interconnection Equipment Contract from the Defense Logistics Agency Land, Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD, Leonardo DRS would deliver wiring harnesses, installation kits, cable assemblies, cabling, connectors and services. The products will be delivered to the Department of Defense and other federal agencies in the United States government. The products are key components of U.S. military vehicle architectures and are used to connect vehicle C5ISR systems, tactical computer systems, networks, radio systems, and weapon systems. “We are pleased to have been awarded this opportunity to continue our proud legacy as a provider of critical core equipment necessary to the reliable operation of Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance systems for our men and women in uniform,” said Bill Guyan, senior vice president and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Electronics business. “By leveraging our manufacturing center of excellence, we are able to provide best-value high-quality products with on-time delivery to our customers.” ABOUT LEONARDO DRS Leonardo DRS is a prime contractor, leading technology innovator and supplier of integrated products, services and support to military forces, intelligence agencies and defense contractors worldwide. Its Land Electronics business unit Provides C4I Network computing and integrated situational awareness, as well as state-of-the-art embedded diagnostics, vehicle power management and combat vehicle integration products and services. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, Leonardo DRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Leonardo S.p.A. See the full range of capabilities at www.LeonardoDRS.com and on Twitter @LeonardoDRSnews. MEDIA ENQUIRES Michael Mount Senior Director, Public Affairs mmount@drs.com +1 571 447 4624 View source version on Leonardo DRS: https://www.leonardodrs.com/news/press-releases/leonardo-drs-wins-contract-worth-up-to-808-million-to-provide-c5isr-interconnection-equipment/

  • Lockheed Martin Awarded Air Force ICBM Contract

    25 octobre 2019 | International, Terrestre

    Lockheed Martin Awarded Air Force ICBM Contract

    Valley Forge, Pa., Oct. 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The US Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) a $108 million contract for the Mark21A Reentry Vehicle (Mk21A) Technology Maturation and Risk Reduction (TMRR) contract. The potential value of the contract is estimated at $138 million: $108 million awarded in the three-year contract and $30 million as a potential one-year contract. "It is essential that Lockheed Martin continue our long-standing ICBM partnership with the Air Force to provide them with advanced solutions. We will continue to demonstrate, through this TMRR, cutting-edge engineering to defeat rogue nation threats," said John Snyder, vice president of Advanced Strategic Programs for Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin will work closely with the Air Force and the National Nuclear Security Administration to provide a technically low risk and affordable solution to modify existing Mk21 reentry vehicles with the capability to deliver the W87-1 Warhead for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Weapon System. The Mk21A TMRR contract is a key element of Lockheed Martin's strategy to remain the Air Force's trusted partner for ICBM Reentry Systems and modernization of the deterrent triad. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com/icbm About Lockheed Martin Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 105,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. SOURCE Lockheed Martin View source version on Lockheed Martin: https://news.lockheedmartin.com/2019-10-23-Lockheed-Martin-Awarded-Air-Force-ICBM-Contract

  • Deal awarded for first permanent US F-35 jet facilities in Europe

    21 novembre 2018 | International, Aérospatial

    Deal awarded for first permanent US F-35 jet facilities in Europe

    By WILLIAM HOWARD | STARS AND STRIPES RAF LAKENHEATH, England — The British government has awarded a 160-million pound ($205 million) contract for construction work at RAF Lakenheath to prepare the base for the arrival of U.S. F-35A Lightning II stealth jets. The deal is the first in a much bigger program to support Air Force operations in the U.K., with a further $1 billion expected to be in invested in the U.K. over the next seven to 10 years, according to the British Defence Infrastructure Organisation. It signed the contract with the Kier-VolkerFitzpatrick joint venture on Monday. Work on the base, the first permanent facility for U.S. Air Force F-35s in Europe, will start in summer. The first F-35s are scheduled to arrive in 2021. “For more than one hundred years now our armed forces have fought in defence of our common values and interests. Our two countries have developed the deepest, broadest and most advanced relationship of any two nations,” Defense Minister Tobias Ellwood said in a statement. Full article: https://www.stripes.com/news/deal-awarded-for-first-permanent-us-f-35-jet-facilities-in-europe-1.557392

Toutes les nouvelles