Lockheed Martin Fields Safety Upgrade For F-35A Fleet

By Steve Trimble

A crash-preventing upgrade for the Lockheed Martin F-35A is now being fielded after a nine-month test phase, program officials announced on July 24.

The Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System (Auto-GCAS) is being integrated on the U.S. Air Force variant first, but will also spread to the Navy and Marine Corps variants.

Auto-GCAS, which is already fielded on the F-16, prevents crashes caused when a pilot partially or fully loses consciousness during aggressive flight maneuvers. The system can detect an imminent collision, take control and steer the aircraft to a safe heading.

The Air Force credits Auto-GCAS for preventing eight F-16 crashes since 2014.

“Auto-GCAS is a proven system that is long overdue,” said Lt. Gen. Eric Fick, F-35 program executive officer.

https://aviationweek.com/defense/lockheed-martin-fields-safety-upgrade-f-35a-fleet?NL=AW-05&Issue=AW-05_20190725_AW-05_516&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2&utm_rid=CPEN1000015176279&utm_campaign=20501&utm_medium=email&elq2=71640d6c1c2a404d87e172f000eaa32d