Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review, April 30, 2021

History made with innovative Project FoX/F-35 development

by Jamal Sutter ious that we were not going to be suc-
Robins AFB, Ga. cessful,” he said. “I was very confi-
dent that the team would at least learn
For the first time ever, Air Force something that would be able to carry
personnel livestreamed F-35 data us forward. In my mind, failures are
directly from the aircraft’s mission always on the path to success.”
systems computers to a connected A day prior to the successful run,
computer tablet during a ground test the team faced some issues that pre-
March 31, 2021, at Nellis Air Force vented them from being able to read
Base, Nev. data from the aircraft. However, after
The event was a milestone for the a few hours back in the software lab
Fighter Optimization eXperiment adjusting application code, they fig-
(FoX), a project that seeks to rap- ured it out. The critical and agile soft-
idly integrate advanced software and ware change worked and was enabled
hardware technologies to maximize by the F-35 JPO cyber team being
the F-35’s lethality and survivability, on site to participate in the testing, a
while creating an agile development precedent in regards to capability de-
test tool and fielded combat multi- velopment.
plier for all DOD aircraft. Though this initial test was fielded
“In order to stay competitive, we on the F-35, the ambitions for Project
have to innovate,” said Lt. Col. Ra- FoX reach far beyond just the Light-
ven “Rost” LeClair. “It’s as simple ning II. Its all-encompassing intent is
as that. We are trying to find ways to eventually optimize capabilities for
to go faster for less money, to bring every DOD platform through state-of-
more capability per dollar, and to the-art methods, combat autonomous
push more capabilities to the warf- toolsets, and hardware and software
ighter more quickly… We want to solutions. Ultimately, the team seeks
shift timelines from capabilities be- to transform the combat capability
ing fielded in years to being fielded acquisition landscape by making the
in a matter of months or weeks; both best tools in the industry and govern-
hardware and software.” Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Bryan Guthrie ment available to any combat platform
LeClair is a test flight commander Senior Airman Aaron Hooks, an F-35A Lightning II dedicated crew chief assigned to the 57th Aircraft Maintenance through a DOD Combat App Store and
stationed at Edwards AFB, Calif., Squadron, cleans the canopy of an F-35A at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Dec. 17, 2019. A recent ground test conducted cockpit-integrated tablet, LeClair said.
with the 370th Flight Test Squadron, at Nellis proved that Air Force personnel could safely and securely livestream F-35 data directly from the aircraft’s mission “By opening up the opportunity for
a unit assigned to the Air Force Re- systems computers to a connected computer tablet. The demonstration was a milestone for the Fighter Optimization innovation, proven in the commer-
serve Command’s 413th Flight Test eXperiment (FoX), a project that seeks to rapidly integrate advanced software and hardware technologies to maximize cial sector app stores, we can bring
Group. He’s also the F-35 command the F-35’s lethality and survivability, while creating an agile development test tool and fielded combat multiplier for all the very best combat tools to the
chief instructor test pilot with the DOD aircraft. warfighter — customized and truly
461st FLTS, an active-duty unit at agile combat capability development
Edwards, and one of the main play- from the 309th Software Maintenance to-air threats. with Nellis’ Defense Innovation Unit where fixes can be pushed in days
ers within Project FoX. Group out of Hill AFB, Utah, and Many entities played a part in either and a co-designer of one of the tested not months,” he said. “It also opens
With the ground test, the Project presents surface-to-air threat infor- managing or assisting the test in some tablet apps, operated the cockpit dur- up a whole new world of opportunity
FoX test team proved they could suc- mation in a new format designed to capacity, including a Project FoX gov- ing the test. for live-fly modeling and simulation.
cessfully take data output from a flight maximize pilot effectiveness in the ernment software development team Project FoX was conceived by We will be able to find software bugs
test instrumentation system and con- suppression of air defenses mission from the 309th SMXG, F-35 main- the 461st FLTS’s Future Technology that escape the lab sooner and fix
vert the F-35’s data to communicate of the F-35. The second app, devel- tainers and 59th Test and Evaluation Team, led by U.S Marine Corp. F-35 them faster, rapidly integrate AI tools
with mobile applications running on oped by Lockheed Martin’s Advanced Squadron instrumentation lab special- pilot, Maj. Jason “Strap” Schulze. The that could never be run on the actual
a commercial tablet. Two apps were Development Programs branch, intro- ists out of Nellis, a team from Lock- team was formed with the mission of aircraft due to hardware limitations,
tested to demonstrate the idea. duces the concept of advanced artifi- heed Martin and cyber security spe- pursuing advanced aerospace tech- provide unprecedented cyber-attack
One app, the Battlefield Manage- cial intelligence to increase the F-35s cialists from the F-35 Joint Program nology and rapid innovation for the awareness and protection, and crowd
ment Portal, was developed by a team advantages against advanced surface- Office. Lt. Col. Mike Selzter, a leader F-35, with Project FoX being one of source testing on multiple platforms.
the main vessels in attaining that goal. “There is no reason why I can’t test
Together, Schulze and LeClair came the same capability and app on F-18
up with the concept and roadmap for before F-35 or risk reduce software on
Project FoX after identifying capabil-
ity gaps between the vision for agile F-35 for use by unpiloted aircraft. By
connecting a tablet to an aircraft’s data
software development and reality. bus, the warfighter and tester will be
Getting Project FoX from concept able to utilize an entire DOD Combat
to reality took many months of coor- App store of tools, customized to help
dination and planning, much of which
were overseen by LeClair. However, solve tactical problems in real time.”
The idea of Project FoX traces
he wasn’t short on help. The F-35 JPO back to U.S. Navy Vice Adm. Mathias
research and technology team, who
assisted in the approval process of Winter’s vision of the F-35 that he set
near the end of the aircraft’s first ten
Project FoX, immediately recognized
the potential of an integrated tablet to years of flight test. Winter, the then
F-35 program executive officer who
accelerate testing and fielding of com- oversaw the aircraft’s development,
bat capabilities. And the 309th SMXG
led the development of the software imagined the aircraft being able to
automatically download updates and
and provided critical leadership dur-
ing the ground test, proving the true new features overnight, similarly to an
iPhone or Tesla.
power and distributed leadership of “That is the vision he set out for
the Project FoX team.
With the test happening at Nellis, us, which is a very challenging and
approximately 200 miles away from inspiring mission, given how complex
Air Force photograph by Giancarlo Casem the team at Edwards, they placed the aircrafts is,” said Lt. Col. James
Lt. Col. Raven LeClair, 370th Flight Test Squadron test flight commander and 461st FLTS F-35 command chief instructor their trust in the other members of Valpiani, 461st FLTS commander and
test pilot, fields questions from a panel of six judges Jan. 29, 2020, during the Spark Tank Innovation Showcase at the distributed team. LeClair said all F-35 integrated test force director. “It
Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. LeClair’s presentation highlighted the Fighter Optimization eXperiment (FoX), a project he could do was wait patiently and has tens of millions of lines of code.
that involves connecting DOD aircraft to cyber-secure mobile devices equipped with customized apps that are designed standby for updates, confident he had And, of course, it’s different than an
to rapidly integrate advanced software and hardware technologies to the combat fleet. The event was a competition innovative and resourceful leaders on iPhone or Tesla in that people are
based on the larger service-wide Spark Tank campaign that allows Airmen to present innovation ideas to key agencies trying to shoot it down. It is a very
in order to garner support and funding. the ground making it happen.
“I was definitely nervous and anx- See PROJECT, Page 4
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