http://www.aviationnow.com/avnow/news/channel_aerospacedaily_story.jsp?id=news/gra12233.xmlA 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.
its like HUGE