In an interview with Breaking Defense, Lockheed exec Greg Ulmer pushed back on the Pentagon’s complaints about technical data sharing, and said the firm is working with the DoD on better ways to track spare parts.
By Michael MarrowMillennium Space Systems is delivering on critical missile tracking constellation
With programs like MTC, Millennium Space Systems is redefining what it means to be an operational prime – rapidly delivering operational small sat constellations on rapid timelines.
With a GOP-controlled House and a Democrat-controlled Senate, nothing in the bill is final until the last minute conference negotiations are completed, but here are the key issues to watch.
By Justin Katz, Ashley Roque and Jaspreet Gill
In a high-profile public spat with little precedence between the airframe and engine giants, Pratt & Whitney executives are formally accusing Lockheed Martin of prioritizing its own bottom line by seeking an adaptive engine solution for the Joint Strike Fighter.
By Michael Marrow and Aaron Mehta
“I’m going to advocate, and I do advocate, for [the Adaptive Engine Transition Program, or AETP],” said Lockheed Martin aeronautics chief Greg Ulmer, who labeled “some” current approaches to the fighter’s engine modernization as “short-sighted.”
By Michael Marrow
Cooling needs for the Joint Strike Fighter have taxed the F-35’s engine beyond its design specifications, prompting a need for separate upgrades to its powerplant and cooling system that Raytheon sees as an opening.
By Michael Marrow
“We did the AETP line to keep that technology going as we head into sixth-generation aircraft that the Air Force and Navy are hoping to field in the 2030s,” a senior congressional aide said of the decision to seek continued funding for AETP.
By Michael Marrow
An unknown number of new F-35s will be held up as a result of ongoing testing for the TR-3 system, with deliveries expected to start between December 2023 and April 2024.
By Michael Marrow
Military innovation and savings: Go commercial
DoD uses FAR Part 12 acquisitions to save hundreds of millions of dollars in “of a type” systems like civil landing systems with applicability to military aircraft.
A Pratt executive pushed back on a Government Accountability Office report that warned of production delays due to an inventory of engines being cleared out, and stated the company’s engine upgrade for the Joint Strike Fighter can support the jet’s needs through Block 4.
By Michael Marrow
Following the Air Force’s decision to forego a new engine for the F-35, General Electric is taking its fight to Capitol Hill to keep the Adaptive Engine Transition Program alive.
By Michael Marrow
Raytheon executives said they see improvement for components like electronics, though shortages continue for castings, rocket motors and other key parts.
By Michael Marrow
In his first testimony before Congress as the F-35 Program Executive Officer, Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt said just 53% of the US Joint Strike Fighter fleet was mission capable as of February 2023, a statistic he called “unacceptable.”
By Michael Marrow
Asked whether the Air Force would be willing to try again on pursuing an adaptive engine if Congress provided more funding, service Secretary Frank Kendall said, “No, we’ve made our decision.”
By Michael Marrow
Deliveries of the jet were halted after the crash of an F-35B in December. Even as a root cause has yet to be identified, the F-35 Joint Program Office said acceptances resumed after implementing mitigation efforts for one identified engine issue.
By Michael Marrow Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said that if the development cost was lower, the Air Force may have found the space in its budget to fund the engine for its jets alone, “but at the level of several billion dollars to do that [engineering and manufacturing development], we couldn’t get there.”
By Michael Marrow
