Aviation Week & Space Technology - January 15, 2015

50 AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY/JANUARY 15-FEBRUARY 1, 2015 AviationWeek.com/awst

Amy Butler Washington

Reaping Repairs

MRO decisions for the F-35 are a step forward

for the controversial fighter program

W

ithin the next three years, six

of the nine partner nations in

the F-35 development pro-

gram are scheduled to begin substan-

tial maintenance, repair, overhaul and

upgrade (MRO&U) work on the single-

engine, stealthy fighter.

The Pentagon announced late last

year that Australia, Italy, Japan, the

Netherlands, Norway and Turkey were

assigned work associated with heavy

repair of airframes or engines for the

fighters that will operate in or near

those countries.

This is a major step forward for

the controversial international fighter

program that has lately battled to right

itself after years of delays to in-service

debuts and billions of dollars in devel-

opment setbacks. It signals a path for

financial return to these partner na-

tions investing in the program as well

as progress in its maturity. However,

much work must be done to meet the

2018 date for early MRO&U operations

in Italy, Turkey, Japan and Australia.

Italy will be the primary location

for heavy airframe maintenance for

F-35s operating in and around Europe.

Turkey will initially handle heavy en-

gine maintenance there for the Pratt

& Whitney F135. Both countries are

expected to stand up operations by

2018. Norway and the Netherlands will
      provide additional heavy engine MRO
      capability by 2021, and the U.K. will be
      the site of heavy airframe maintenance
      should additional capacity be required
      for fighters in the region, says U.S. Air
      Force Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan,
      F-35 program executive ofcer.
      The Pentagon unveiled the assign-
      ments for Europe Dec. 11 and those for
      the Pacific region a week later.
      As expected, Japan and Australia
      were assigned MRO&U work for the
      airframe and engines for the F-35s op-
      erating in the Pacific region; the two
      will split the work between jets oper-
      ating in the North and South Pacific.
      The only other current Pacific
      region customer is South Korea; it
      would be unusual for Seoul to have
      its aircraft maintained in Japan. It is
      unclear whether South Korea will rely
      on Australia.
      The great distance to transit jets
      there played a unique role in the Pacific
      decision. Airframe work for both coun-
      tries will begin in 2018, and heavy work

on the F135 engine will start in Aus-

tralia no later than 2018, with Japan’s

engine capacity standing up within five

years, Bogdan says.

Italy and Japan won the airframe

work largely due to indigenous spend-

ing for specialized facilities to host it.

Without providing details, Bogdan ac-

knowledges that not all proposals were

accepted, so there were, in efect, some

losers.

The work assignments were based

on data provided by F-35 partners on

their indigenous companies and ca-

pabilities as well as practical regional

considerations, such as forward-basing,

aircraft-phasing and transportation.

The decisions will be reassessed in five

years. The choices are not exclusive.

Should additional work be required,

partners and Foreign Military Sales

customers can vie for tasks as the fleet

grows.

Bogdan says more assignments for

supply warehousing, component work

and maintenance of the support equip-

ment are expected next year. “There is

much work still to be had on the F-35

global sustainment posture,” he told

reporters last month.

The repair centers are likely to be a

boon for local industries in these areas,

but countries ofering to do the work

had to ensure it would not add cost

to the program, which could include

more than 3,000 fighters operating

globally for more than 50 years. Italian

defense ofcials estimate the airframe

repair facility alone will generate $18.6

billion in MRO work for industry there

in the decades to come.

Bogdan says Italy should expect to

receive at least $35 million worth of

work through 2022. Each country pro-

viding maintenance facilities is guar-

anteed work commensurate with the

jets it is purchasing in the program.

Assignments to nations above the

baseline amount will be decided based

on a “best-value” approach, Bogdan

says, noting that repair centers could

eventually compete for work.

This workshare for Italy is about

150,000 hr., or 40-50 airframes in-

ducted in 2018-22, he says.

Thus far, indigenous spending ap-

pears to be a discriminator. Italy has

spent about $1 billion for its final as-

sembly and checkout (FACO) plant at

Cameri AB in the north of the coun-

try; the preponderance of the funding

came from the government. Japan’s

spending has not been disclosed for

DEFENSE

Italy plans to roll its first F-35A

assembled in Cameri, Italy, of the

line by March.

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