F-35 Squadrons

Abstract

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program will develop and field an affordable, highly common family of next generation strike aircraft for the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and International Partners countries. There are three variants: the F-35A Conventional Takeoff and Landing variant; the F-35B Short Take Off and Vertical Landing variant; and the F-35C Aircraft Carrier suitable variant. Maximum commonality among the variants, consistent with National Disclosure Policy, will minimize total air system life cycle costs. Beginning in FY 2020, Continuous Capability Development & Delivery (C2D2) efforts designated as Block 4 that are not USAF-unique (US Service and International Partner common requirements) are requested in PE 0604840F. Remaining funding in PE 0207142F supports USAF-unique on-going User Information Data Exchange Service (UIDES), SEEK EAGLE, Hybrid Product Support Integrator (HPSI) and Dual Capable Aircraft (DCA) requirements. These continuing efforts are not new starts. JSF C2D2 efforts provide incremental warfighting capability improvements to maintain joint air dominance against evolving threats. Requirements designated as Block 4 include a robust weapons integration portfolio and provide new opportunities for International Partners to assess, integrate, and field unique capabilities based on global sovereign requirements. The F-35 JSF Operational Requirements Document (ORD) calls for the F-35A to have the capabilities and provisions for DCA operations in the first post-System Development and Demonstration (SDD) block upgrade. DCA is a NATO and US priority which is a critical capability in our collective defense and credible deterrence, with certification needed by Jan 2024. DCA refers to the capability to carry and deliver conventional and non-conventional weapons. DCA operations for the F-35A is internal carriage of up to two B61-12s. Due to extensive certification requirements, the DCA capability planning and design, testing and certification will continue throughout Block 4. Funding in this PE will resource the following F-35A DCA activities: development, analysis, test, integration, certification and risk-reduction activities necessary to field and maintain F-35A DCA capabilities throughout post-SDD block upgrades; assessment of DCA weapon integration and certification impacts on the JSF aircraft; identification and mitigation of potential technical and cost risks; definition of integration and certification trade-space to field the DCA capability with the B61-12 weapon; follow-on risk reduction efforts to ensure future integration alignment with the earliest feasible post-SDD block upgrade; full integration efforts pending Service decisions. This is not a new start effort. The Air Force SEEK EAGLE Office (AFSEO) is the AF organization chartered to perform the compatibility mission and manage the compatibility enterprise. AFSEO delivers warfighting capability through aircraft/store compatibility testing and evaluation and provides accurate combat weapon delivery and mission planning software. Beginning in FY2020, the USAF has supported Flight Test Instrumentation (FTI) wiring and weapons integration tasks related to SEEK EAGLE requests. These tasks include, but are not limited to, envelope expansion, mixed loads testing, adding additional stores and F-35A specific risk reduction efforts and studies. This is not a new start effort. The Quick Reaction Instrumentation Package (QRIP) system is a government off-the-shelf solution from the 59th Test and Evaluation Squadron (59 TES) for F-35A high-capacity data recording needs. Designed for operational test and evaluation, the system can serve multiple emerging needs for data collection. By capturing crowd sourced flight data (CSFD) from operational aircraft, QRIP reduces the need for deliberate regression flight testing and allows the test enterprise to focus on Block 4 and future capability development. In FY 2023, the 59 TES will produce and install 20 QRIP data recording devices on as many F-35A aircraft and will produce/install approximately 20 QRIP devices annually thereafter. Also in FY 2023, the Knowledge Management (KM) system for CSFD ingest and storage will be procured and deployed at Nellis AFB, Hill AFB, and RAF Lakenheath. A team of eight contractors at each base are required to sustain QRIP associated hardware and software. In FY 2025, KM will be deployed at Tyndall AFB. Meanwhile, the 59 TES will continue studying means to increase the operational viability of CSFD. This is not a new start effort. Cost share funding for this effort is also in PE0604840F while the F-35A Air Force unique costs are located in this PE. The F-35 HPSI's primary role is to integrate support across the supply chain, maintenance, sustainment engineering, logistics information technology and training disciplines. It will deliver enduring, global support for fielded F-35s while preparing for future force expansion. USAF only will fund additional Program Management Activities (PMA) to transition to a final HPSI, which will support sustainment analysis with product support managers, focused on long-term strategic planning and transition to a final integrated support plan. This is not a new start effort. USAF F-35 User Information Data Exchange Service (UIDES) provides for Air Force development of a F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) - UIDES that supports current and future Information Exchange Requirement (IER) data transfer capability from the F-35 ALIS into data reports and configurable tables to receive, store and integrate F-35 operations, maintenance, training and financial data within existing Air Force enterprise views and systems to support the growing fleet of AF F-35 aircraft, the ability to feed F-35 training and operations data to ALIS, and support modification of an enhanced data sharing capability (ability to consume increased volume and variety of ALIS IER data) to support operations planning, pilot and maintainer training, and depot data configuration and integration requirements. Activities also include studies and analysis to support both current program/project planning and execution and future program/project planning. The ALIS UIDES efforts are scheduled to ramp down in FY22 until the new Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN) baseline is ready. This is not a new start effort. This program element may include necessary civilian pay expenses required to manage, execute, and deliver weapon system capability. The use of such programs funds would be in addition to the civilian pay expenses budgeted in program element 0605827F, 0605828F, 0605829F, 0605831F, 0605832F, 0605833F, 0605898F, 0606398F. In FY21 $7.204M was expended for civilian pay expenses in this program element, and in FY22 $5.649M is forecasted for civilian pay expenses in this program element. This program is in Budget Activity 7, Operational System Development because this budget activity includes development efforts to upgrade systems that have been fielded or have received approval for full rate production and anticipate production funding in the current or subsequent fiscal year.

Document Details

• Document Type: R2 Budgetary Justification
• Publication Date: Oct 01, 2023
• Source ID: 0207142F_7_3600_PB_2023
• Change Summary Explanation: FY21 adjustments of -$3.357M for Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) and -$7M reprogramming for C2D2. The FY 2022 President's Budget submittal did not reflect FY 2023 through FY 2026 funding. Therefore, an explanation of the change between the two budget positions for FY2023 cannot be made in a relevant manner.
• Service Agency Name: Air Force

Entities

Organizations

• United States Air Force

Tags

Communities of Interest

• Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

• Acquisition
• Air Force
• Contracts
• Cost Analysis
• Data Transmission
• Developmental Tests
• Fighter Aircraft
• Information Systems
• Knowledge Management
• Logistics
• Program Management
• Safety Analysis
• Supply Chain
• Test And Evaluation
• Test Facilities
• Warfare
• Wind Tunnels

Readers

• Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
• Naval Engineering and Maritime Security

Technology Areas

• Space