Lockheed Martin upgrades F-35 logistics system
NewsApril 27, 2017
BETHESDA, Md. Lockheed Martin has been given the green light to install the next iteration of the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) in F-35 Lightning II aircraft based at U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy F-35 sites. Along with a variety of improvements to the system's baseline, the upgrade enhances the ALIS's ability to manage forward operations and sustainment.
Following extensive flight testing, the upgrade -- dubbed ALIS 2.0.2 -- now integrates propulsion data, which allows users to manage the F-35 engine from inside ALIS, thereby eliminating the need for multiple maintenance systems and field service representatives to assist with engine diagnostics, analysis, and maintenance. ALIS 2.0.2 also intends to facilitate the tracking of life-limited parts and streamline resource management for deployed operations.
The updated software also includes the ability to network, which will allow users to more easily establish connections between deployed locations and home stations. ALIS -- which Lockheed Martin reports has supported more than 90,000 F-35 flight hours -- integrates preventative maintenance, flight scheduling, and the mission planning system; pilots use the ALIS to plan and debrief missions, while maintenance professionals use it to sustain the F-35 in terms of logistics and supplies.
According to Lockheed Martin, approval for fleet-wide fielding of ALIS to F-35 sites for the U.S. Marine Corps is expected in the next six weeks; the U.S. Marine Corps declared F-35 initial operating capability (IOC) in 2015, while the U.S. Air Force declared IOC in 2016. The U.S. Navy is set to declare IOC in 2018.
