Lockheed Martin JSF Team Announces Work Share for EMD Phase
FORT WORTH, Texas--- The Lockheed Martin team has made final work-share decisions for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program's Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) phase. The decisions came after evaluating and confirming the attributes each partner company brings to achieve best value for the JSF customers. "The baseline premise in adding Northrop Grumman and British Aerospace (BAe) to our team in 1997 was to integrate their unique sets of capabilities, resources, processes and customer relationships into a superior JSF team,'' said Frank J. Cappuccio, Lockheed Martin vice president and JSF program manager. "After two years of working together and collectively putting our very best efforts into this program, we are now confident of having the right answers for the areas where each company can make its maximum contributions to team and customer success,'' Cappuccio said. "This has been the driving consideration in all our work-share decisions to date.'' The Lockheed Martin team has the total program solution to multiservice requirements and leads the world in the experience the JSF demands: affordability, stealth, mission systems, carrier suitability, short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) capability, single-engine design, accurate weapons delivery systems and international program development. As the program matures and moves toward the EMD phase, work content has been awarded based on the team's unique skill sets. Here are the task outlines for the EMD phase, scheduled to begin in 2001: Lockheed Martin has pledged to commit the capabilities and strengths of its entire corporation, across four major business areas and some 17 lines of business, to ensure the success of the JSF. Lockheed Martin's contribution will include application of industry-leading lean manufacturing and best practices, component manufacturing and mate through delivery, weapon system integration, low observables expertise, composite technology applications and mission systems development. The team is led by Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS), manufacturer of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the world's most affordable and most successful single-engine multirole fighter aircraft. With more than 20 domestic and international F-16 customers, LMTAS is an undisputed leader in low-cost tactical aircraft systems integration, production, program management, product support and international marketing. As a major supplier for the F-22 Raptor, the world's most advanced-technology fighter, the company has significant expertise in advanced aircraft technologies and systems. These two programs also showcase LMTAS' years of close affiliation with the U.S. Air Force and allied nations. Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems and Aerostructures sector is responsible for detailed design and integration of the JSF center fuselage and weapons bay door drive system, including installation design and integration of installed subsystems; development of a substantial portion of mission systems software; ground and flight test support, including conducting the air vehicle drop test program and fuel system testing; development of the software element of the flight control system for the carrier variant; development support in the area of signature/low observables; and support of modeling and simulation activities including pilot-in-the-loop simulations. Northrop Grumman brings decades of experience in advanced tactical fighter and long-range strike aircraft development and integration, stealth technologies and composite manufacturing capabilities, avionics systems integration, sensors, advanced commercial aircraft manufacturing processes, and aircraft carrier suitability. The company also has a long-standing relationship with the U.S. Navy. "This is an opportunity to apply our expertise in systems integration, software development, affordable composite manufacturing processes, and lean commercial practices,'' said Paul Marchisotto, Northrop Grumman JSF program manager. "Our commitment is to take the brightest people we have, many of whom have worked on some of the world's most advanced combat aircraft, and dedicate their talents to making this a winning JSF team.'' British Aerospace is responsible for detailed design and integration of the aft fuselage, the horizontal and vertical tails (excluding edges), and wing folds for the UK STOVL and CV variants; design and procurement lead of the fuel system for all variants; development of a significant portion of the cockpit integration, including design and procurement lead of the crew escape and life support systems; STOVL flight test support; STOVL static arid durability full-scale structural testing; systems engineering for STOVL operations and reliability, maintainability and supportability; air vehicle and airframe integration, including STOVL wind tunnel testing; STOVL control laws; development support for the propulsion integration; development support for the mission systems software, including UK stores fire control, UK external communications and structural prognostics health management; and development support to the support and training systems. BAe brings to the team its extensive experience as Europe's leading weapon system integration company for tactical aircraft, including 40 years of experience in STOVL combat aircraft design, development and operation. The company has a close association with the United Kingdom military's operational concepts and deployment practices and considerable knowledge of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps through the Harrier and T-45 aircraft programs. Additionally, BAe's lean and flexible manufacturing practices and subcontract management processes lend themselves to economical manufacturing, particularly in areas of high variability among the JSF aircraft versions. "This team is producing the tactical aircraft for the next century, in a way that meets the needs of the four services, minimizes cost and risk, and is cost-effective,'' said Martin Taylor, JSF program manager for British Aerospace. "We are proud to be part of this winning team.'' Cappuccio concluded, "No other team can match the experience, technology and proven performance the Lockheed Martin team brings to the task.'' Lockheed Martin received one of two JSF Concept Demonstration contracts awarded by the Department of Defense in November 1996. Flight evaluation of the demonstrator aircraft is scheduled to take place in 2000, with government selection of a contractor for the EMD phase set for 2001.
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Lockheed Martin JSF Team Announces Work Share for EMD Phase
