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A recently concluded review of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter shows
the aircraft continues to be heavier than hoped, according to prime
contractor Lockheed Martin Corp.
Bottom Up Weight (BUW) No. 4, the latest in a series of weight
reviews, found that the Lockheed Martin-led team "did not achieve
the objectives we expected for the structural weight of the
airplane at this point in the program," the company said in a
statement.
Although Lockheed Martin did not reveal the size or potential
implications of the extra weight, an earlier review, BUW No. 3,
conducted in June, showed that the aircraft had to shed about 1,400
pounds to meet the target for its first critical design review,
scheduled for April 2004. The Defense Department's JSF program
office has not commented publicly on BUW No. 4, saying it first
wants to brief senior Pentagon leaders.
"This latest review gives the program leadership the tools it needs
to decide how this weight affects program planning," Lockheed
Martin said.
Another weight review, BUW No. 5, is slated to occur sometime
before the April design review.
Although JSF has no weight requirement, Lockheed Martin has set its
own weight goals to help it achieve performance expectations for
the aircraft, a company spokesman said.
Richard Aboulafia, an aviation consultant at the Teal Group, told
The DAILY Dec. 22 that weight problems are "perfectly normal" for
fighter aircraft under development, and that JSF "still holds out
more promise than any fighter program" since the F-16 was developed
in the 1970s. But Aboulafia added that Lockheed Martin's
competitors could use the lingering weight issue to fuel doubts
about JSF.
"Nobody likes risk, and the opposition will play on that fear of
risk," he said.
Other fronts
The JSF industry team, meanwhile, is reporting progress on other
fronts. According to Northrop Grumman Corp., a full-scale model of
the aircraft's internal weapons bay successfully displayed its
loading capability during a Dec. 1-4 demonstration in El Segundo,
Calif.
The Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), the Joint Direct Attack Munition
(JDAM), the Wind Corrected Munitions Dispenser (WCMD), laser-guided
bombs and the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile
(AMRAAM) were represented during the demonstration, which was
designed to ensure the weapons bay could accommodate various
weapons and be loaded easily.
In addition, Rolls-Royce said it plans to hold a Jan. 6
ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new $20 million plant in Indianapolis
that will test and produce the lift fan for the short takeoff and
vertical landing (STOVL) version of JSF.
JSF is being developed for the U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps and
Navy, as well as the United Kingdom and other countries.
