O
N APRIL 11, the US
Defense Department
con rmed that it had
halted acceptance
of some F-35s over a
dispute regarding who
would cover the cost of repairing
corrosion on fastener holes on nearly
200 jets. The problem was said to
have been caused by poor nishing
procedures as corrosion-preventing
primer had not been applied to the
holes. The DoD placed a temporary
hold on some deliveries while the
solution was negotiated. By May
1, the US military again started
accepting new aircraft. It has not
been disclosed who is footing the
bill for the repairs. A Joint ProgramO ce statement said, ‘The majority
of aircraft will be complete within 24
months with the remaining aircraft
completed as their availabilities/
modi cation timing allows.’
Lockheed Martin says it remains on
track to meet its delivery target of 91
F-35s for 2018.
Concurrency and sustainment
were always major concerns when
it came to the F-35 program, and
costs continue to be a bugbear.
VADM Mat Winter, the Lightning
II’s military program manager, says
that managing sustainment costs
through life are at the top of his
hit-list. According to a recent report,
the high operating costs of the
F-35 could force the US Air Force tocancel some of its planned 1,
F-35As unless it can nd a way to
drive down operating costs over
the next decade. A saving of 38 per
cent is being mooted if a full buy
is to be realized. Moreover, initial
overseas deployments are being hit
by logistical issues that are hitting
maintenance and spares. A report
says the F-35B supply chain to
Iwakuni, Japan, has been dogged
by problems.
In addition, sealing a deal on Lot
11 production, which had stalled,
is near completion. Winter doesn’t
appear to have had to fall back on
a unilateral contract agreement,
a one-sided deal that forces a
contractor to abide by terms set bythe government. The JPO forced
Lockheed Martin into a UCA when it
came to the $6.1-billion contract for
Lot 9 production in November 2016
when negotiations had completely
fallen apart. President Donald Trump
got involved in negotiations, while
Lockheed Martin decided not to
challenge the UCA, cut its losses and
played ball. Unit cost and Lockheed
Martin’s share have historically been
major stalling points in F-35 cost
negotiations. Lot 10 saw the F-35A’s
unit cost fall from more than $
million to $94.6 million, including
the engine and Lockheed Martin’s
fee. Winter said he expects all
variants of the F-35 to be cheaper in
Lot 11 than in the previous batch.F-35 COURTS NEW CONTROVERSY
SUSTAINMENT COSTS LOOM OVER LIGHTNING II
AIRCRAFT OPERATED BY the
French Navy (Marine Nationale)’s
Carrier Air Group (Groupe
Aérien Embarque) integrated
with carrier air wing CVW-8 to
conduct ight operations aboard
the aircraft carrier USS George
H. W. Bush (CVN 77) from May 7
as part of the combined exercise
‘Chesapeake 2018’. In preparation
for carrier quali cations (CQ)aboard the vessel, 12 Rafale M
ghters along with a single E-2C
Hawkeye and more than 300
personnel performed land-
based training alongside CVW-
from NAS Oceana, Virginia. The
carrier quali cations took place
aboard the US carrier so that the
French crews could maintain
their naval aviation pro ciency
while their own aircraft carrier,the FNS Charles De Gaulle (R 91),
is undergoing an overhaul.
The exercise was named to
honor the historic 1781 Battle
of Chesapeake, in which French
naval ships prevented the Royal
Navy from supplying British
Army units in Yorktown, Virginia,
leading to their surrender to
Gen George Washington and the
Continental Army.EXERCISE ‘CHESAPEAKE 2018’
A Rafale M of 17F lands on the USS
George H. W. Bush (CVN 77).
US Navy/MCS2C David Mora JrHEADLINES [NEWS]
http://www.combataircraft.net // July 2018 07
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