Lockheed:
F-35 deliveries can’t resume until mishap investigation done
Jan 25, 03:57 PM
An F-35B Lightning II aircraft launches from the amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli on Aug. 30. Deliveries of new F135 engines for the fighters have been suspended while an investigation into an F-35B's Dec. 15 mishap in Texas continues. (Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter Burghart/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON
— Nearly six weeks into the acceptance flight pause that has halted deliveries of new
F-35 fighters, it remains uncertain when they will resume.
In
an earnings call with analysts Tuesday, Lockheed Martin chief executive Jim
Taiclet said the company is awaiting the completion of an investigation into
a Dec. 15 F-35B mishap before acceptance flights — required
before new fighters can be delivered — can once again take place.
Taiclet
did not provide a time frame for when he expects deliveries to resume.
The
company’s earnings report for the end of 2022 offered a glimpse of how the
delivery pause at the end of the year hit its aeronautics sector’s bottom line.
Overall,
according to Lockheed, its aeronautics sector recorded nearly $27 billion in
net sales in 2022, $239 million more than in 2021. That included increases of
about $375 million on classified contracts with higher volumes, $80 million
more for the F-22, and growth of about $55 million for the F-16 program.
But
that growth was offset by a sales decline of about $310 million for the F-35,
which Lockheed Martin said was due in part to lower volume.
Lockheed
halted acceptance flights of new Joint Strike Fighters immediately after a Dec.
15 mishap involving a newly constructed F-35B during an acceptance flight in
Texas. Video of that mishap showed the F-35B hovering close to the ground
before descending, bouncing and tipping forward until its nose and wing touched
the ground. Its pilot safely ejected from the spinning fighter.
The
Navy’s investigation into the mishap, which is still ongoing, uncovered signs
that a high-pressure fuel tube in the fighter’s Pratt & Whitney-made F135
engine had failed, a source familiar with the program told Defense News last
month.
On
Dec. 27, the Defense Department, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney agreed
to pause delivery of new F135 engines while the
investigation continues to look for the root cause of the accident.
The
pause in acceptance flights for new F-35s in turn halted deliveries. Lockheed
Martin said last month it had been on track to meet its goal of 148 fighters
delivered by the end of the year before the new planes were grounded. The
company ended up delivering 141 F-35s in 2022.
Taiclet
said in Tuesday’s earnings call the company is waiting on the government and
Pratt & Whitney to finish the mishap investigation, and that the company
expects to be notified it can resume acceptance flights and deliveries once
that is done.
Taiclet
said final production of F-35s — primarily at its facility in Fort Worth,
Texas, but also in Italy and Japan — is continuing at the same pace before the
mishap occurred. Lockheed is also continuing to order and receive parts to use in
its jets.
Lockheed
officials also touched on the company’s plans to upgrade fighters with a new
batch of hardware and software upgrades, which is expected to begin with the
production of lot 15 fighters later this year.
Jay
Malave, Lockheed’s chief financial officer, said the company hopes to begin
retrofitting the existing fleet of F-35s with the hardware and software
upgrades known as Technology Refresh 3 sometime next year. This will be part of
Lockheed Martin’s sustainment work on the F-35.
The
Air Force flew its first test F-35 with TR3 — which includes improved memory,
processing power and displays, and will help get the fighter ready for Block 4
upgrades — earlier this month.
Taiclet
said Lockheed plans to roll out more software releases and added capabilities
in the months to come.
“It’ll
be able to handle more weapons, it’ll be able to upgrade electronic warfare
capabilities, it’ll be able to accomplish more missions,” Taiclet said. “The
basic functionality of the aircraft alone is going to be elevated significantly
by the insertion of this technology.”
Ingen kommentarer:
Legg inn en kommentar
Merk: Bare medlemmer av denne bloggen kan legge inn en kommentar.