Enhanced F-35 Lightning II Logistics System Delivered To Flight Test Locations

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Sep 16, 2014, 07:44 ET

EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., and NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXENT RIVER, Md., Sept. 16, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) delivered the next evolution of the F-35 Lightning II's information technology backbone called the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). Following validation at test sites, the software will be installed at all F-35 locations and deployed for military operations beginning in 2015.

United Kingdom and U.S. Air Force F-35 maintainers support ALIS testing at Lockheed Martin's Orlando facility in August 2014. Before software is released, maintenance personnel try new features and provide feedback to Lockheed Martin developers. (Lockheed Martin photo by Mike Wilhelm.) (PRNewsFoto/Lockheed Martin)

Military services manage their F-35 fleets through logistics and operational data analysis provided by ALIS. As the F-35 fleet management tool, ALIS integrates preventative maintenance, flight scheduling and the mission planning system. Pilots plan and debrief missions, and maintenance professionals sustain the F-35 using ALIS.

During flight test operations, the military will confirm new ALIS capabilities, including high-speed data download for increased aircraft availability. The release also provides each nation flying the F-35 with advanced reporting features for fleet management and trend analysis.

"The men and women who will take the F-35 into operations are charting a new course for fighter aircraft, from tactics development to fleet sustainment," said Mary Ann Horter, vice president of F-35 Sustainment Support at Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training. "ALIS provides them with a complete picture of the fleet's status so that they are equipped with the information needed to make proactive decisions and keep the jets flying."

The F-35 is the first tactical aviation system to have sustainment tools engineered in concert with the aircraft for efficiency and cost effectiveness. ALIS is currently operating at nine locations supporting more than 12,000 sorties to date. Compared to previous aircraft, a higher fidelity of information about the F-35 fleet is tracked within ALIS to reduce operations and maintenance costs and increase aircraft availability.

Following the U.S. Marine Corps' planned July 2015 initial operating capability, the U.S. Air Force and Navy are planning initial operations in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs approximately 113,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation's net sales for 2013 were $45.4 billion.

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SOURCE Lockheed Martin