Page 3 - Aerotech News and Review 9-18-15

),7),WDOLDQ.&µIXHO¶WKHZD\IRU$5PLOHVWRQH

by Jet Fabara
Edwards AFB, Calif.

Italy’s F-35 program achieved two

recent milestones with the comple-
WLRQRIWKH¿UVWDHULDOUHIXHOLQJFHUWL-
¿FDWLRQEHWZHHQDQ,WDOLDQ$LU)RUFH
.&$WDQNHUZLWKDQ)$DQG
WKHLQDXJXUDOÀLJKWRIDQ,WDOLDQEXLOW
)$

“Italy is one of the partner nations

on the F-35 program and since we are
JHWWLQJUHDG\WRUHFHLYHRXU¿UVWWZR

F-35s from our Cameri [Italy] Final

Assembly and Check Out Facility, we
QHHGHG WR FHUWLI\ WKH ,WDOLDQ WDQNHU
7KLVLVDIXOOFHUWL¿FDWLRQZLWKDOOWKH

F-35s, so it doesn’t matter if the F-
VDUH,WDOLDQ86$LU)RUFHRU$XV-

tralian assets,” said Italian Air Force
0DM)DELR'H0LFKHOHWK)OLJKW
7HVW6TXDGURQH[SHULPHQWDOWHVWSLORW

7KH,WDOLDQWHVWWHDPDUULYHGKHUH
HDUO\-XO\DQGWKH¿UVWWHVWVRUWLHZDV
ÀRZQ-XO\

“We require only three more test
VRUWLHV WR FRPSOHWH WKH SURJUDP ,I
WKHUHPDLQLQJÀLJKWVDUHVXFFHVVIXOO\

completed as scheduled, the program

will complete this week,” said Vince
&DWHULQDVW)OLJKW7HVW6TXDGURQ
)H[SHULPHQWDOWHVWSLORW

“Overall, we are pretty satisfied

with the campaign since we are near-
LQJWKHHQGRIIXOOFHUWL¿FDWLRQ:H
DUHUHDOO\KDSS\WREHWKH¿UVWLQWHU-
QDWLRQDOWDQNHUWREHFHUWL¿HGZLWKWKH
)7KLVLVWUXO\DKLVWRULFPLOHVWRQH

for the Italian Air Force,” added De
0LFKHOH

With these specific tests, De Mi- Lockheed Martin photograph by Jonathan Case
chele highlighted the Italian tanker’s
incorporation of a new concept of re- $Q,WDOLDQ$LU)RUFH.&$WDQNHUUHIXHOVDQ)$GXULQJDWHVWVRUWLH$XJ,WDO\¶V)SURJUDPDFKLHYHGWZRUHFHQWPLOHVWRQHVZLWKWKHFRPSOHWLRQ
fueling, called a remote vision system, RIWKH¿UVWDHULDOUHIXHOLQJFHUWL¿FDWLRQEHWZHHQDQ,WDOLDQ$LU)RUFH.&$WDQNHUZLWKDQ)$DQGWKHLQDXJXUDOÀLJKWRIDQ,WDOLDQEXLOW)$

which involves boom operators look- test program: the Italian Air Force QL]DWLRQZKRSUHSDUHGWKHWHVWSDFNDJH :KHQWKH¿UVW,WDOLDQEXLOW)$V WREHJLQ¿JKWWUDLQLQJWKHLU.&V
LQJWKURXJKDKHOPHWPRXQWHGGLVSOD\ WKH VW )/76-6) ,7) WKH WK DUHUHDG\WREHIHUULHGWR/XNH$)% are anticipated to refuel them on the
)/76DQGWKH/RFNKHHG0DUWLQ&RU- to include the test plan and safety plan, $UL]QH[W\HDUIRUWKHLUVWXGHQWSLORWV FURVV$WODQWLFYR\DJH
³7KH+0'GLVSOD\VWKUHHGLPHQ- SRUDWLRQ 7KH LQWHJUDWHG WHVW WHDP DFFRUGLQJ WR 6DZQ 6DQGODQG WK
)/76SURJUDPPDQDJHU Lockheed Martin photograph by Jonathan Case
sional imagery through the use of two developed and executed the test plan
WRHQVXUHDHULDOUHIXHOLQJFHUWL¿FDWLRQ ³7KLVLVWKH¿UVWWLPHZH¶YHGRQH
stereoscopic cameras on the bottom of WKLVVRUWRIWKLQJ7KLVLVQXPEHURQH
WKH.&$´'H0LFKHOHVDLG requirements would be met in a safe
in a long line of foreign tankers that
7KURXJKRXWWKHGXUDWLRQRIWHVWLQJ and effective manner,” said Christina ZLOOEHWHVWHGDW(GZDUGV$)%WRVXS-
5\VNH\WK)/76$HULDO5HIXHOLQJ
De Michele noted the multiple orga- ÀLJKWWHVWHQJLQHHU port AR certification with multiple
QL]DWLRQVZKRZHUHLQYROYHGLQRUGHU 86$LU)RUFHUHFHLYHUV´VDLG6DQG-
In addition to this, Ryskey men- ODQG ³5LJKW DIWHU WKLV ,WDOLDQ WDQNHU
to ensure the success of each of the
UHIXHOLQJFHUWL¿FDWLRQWULDOV tioned there were teams of flight test, we’ll be testing the Australian
WDQNHU:HKDYHDZKROHRWKHUFRDOL-
³7KHUH ZHUH WHVW ERRP RSHUDWRUV test boom operators, human systems
>IURPWKHWK)OLJKW7HVW6TXDGURQ@ tion tanker effort that’s going to certify
integration engineers, fuel systems
that were responsible for checking the HQJLQHHUVÀ\LQJTXDOLWLHVHQJLQHHUV additional receivers with the Italian,
%RHLQJSHUVRQQHO)PDLQWHQDQFH $XVWUDOLDQDQG8QLWHG$UDE(PLUDWHV
compatibility between the two aircraft
LQYROYHG7KHUHZHUHDOVRÀLJKWWHVW teams, the F-35 Joint Program Of- tanker, which we plan to start within
¿FHWKH$LU)RUFH/LIH&\FOH0DQ- WKHQH[W\HDU´
engineers who were tracking data and
agement Center at Wright Patterson Italy’s first F-35A Lightning II,
making sure that nothing was going to $)% 2KLR WKH WK 7HVW :LQJ NQRZQDV$/DQGDVVHPEOHGDWWKH

go beyond the limit of the receiver and Range Squadron and the Navy Sea Cameri Final Assembly and Check
WKHWDQNHU´VDLG'H0LFKHOH³6LQFH 7HVW5DQJHZKRZHUHDOOSDUWRIWKH 2XW)$&2IDFLOLW\ÀHZIRUWKH¿UVW
WHVWLQJSURFHVV WLPH6HSWDQGPDUNHGWKHSURJUDP¶V
we had the aircraft fully instrumented, ¿UVWHYHU)ÀLJKWRXWVLGHWKH8QLWHG
2I WKRVH RUJDQL]DWLRQV WKH WK 6WDWHV
we could see all the data real-time and )/76ZDVWKHGHVLJQDWHGOHDGWHVWRUJD-

capture what we needed to certify the
DLUFUDIW´

³7KHUH ZHUH IRXU SULPDU\ RUJD-
QL]DWLRQVGLUHFWO\LQYROYHGZLWKWKH

35('$725IURP

tion system and a four-bladed propeller were incorporated, along the company an honor from Aviation Week, with the company be- ³7KLV\HDU¶V3URJUDP([FHOOHQFHVXEPLVVLRQVSURYLGHGDZHDOWK
LQJQDPHGDVD¿QDOLVWIRUWKH3URJUDP([FHOOHQFH$ZDUGV
with a heavyweight trailing arm landing gear system that enables LQWKHFDWHJRU\RI6\VWHP5HDSHU(5ZDVVHOHFWHGIRU*$$6,¶V of lessons learned and best practices, from driving down cycle time
VDIHJURXQGRSHUDWLRQVDWWKHKHDYLHUJURVVZHLJKW
efforts to introduce unique and innovative changes to standard and affecting the learning curve to process innovations that allow
7KH5HDSHU(5SURJUDPZDVD45&UHTXLUHPHQWLQVXSSRUWRI
WKH86$LU)RUFHZKLFKFKDOOHQJHG*$$6,WRGHOLYHU5HDSHU production programs in the execution of the aircraft’s production, program teams to work smarter and achieve better results,” said
(5DLUFUDIWLQPRQWKVDQGWREHRSHUDWLRQDOPRQWKVIROORZ- LQFOXGLQJDQLQQRYDWLYHDSSURDFKWROHDGLQJDQGPDQDJLQJD45&
LQJFRQWUDFWDZDUG7KH(5PRGL¿FDWLRQSDFNDJHZDVGHVLJQHGWR Carole Hedden, Program Excellence editorial director for Aviation
EH¿HOGUHWUR¿WWDEOHVRWKDWIXHOWDQNVDQGDVVRFLDWHGHTXLSPHQW that implemented a disciplined production environment to meet a :HHN³2XUHYDOXDWLRQWHDPRISURJUDPH[SHUWVQDUURZHGWKH¿HOG
YHU\FKDOOHQJLQJVFKHGXOH7KHFRPSDQ\DOVRZDVUHFRJQL]HGIRU IURPRULJLQDOQRPLQDWLRQVWRD¿HOGRI¿QDOLVWVZKRH[HP-
could be installed quickly and conveniently on current Reapers at SDUWQHULQJZLWKWKH86JRYHUQPHQWWRVWUHDPOLQHWKHSURGXFWLRQ SOL¿HGWKHEHVWLQFUHDWLQJYDOXHDGDSWLQJWRFRPSOH[LW\WHDP
ZRUOGZLGHORFDWLRQV OLQHDQGDGMXVWWRROVDQGSURFHVVHVWRLPSURYHWKHH[HFXWLRQRI HIIHFWLYHQHVVDQGSURGXFLQJUHVXOWV´
WKHSURJUDP
In related news, GA-ASI announced that Reaper ER has earned 7KHZLQQHUVRIWKH3URJUDP([FHOOHQFH$ZDUGVZLOOEHDQ-
QRXQFHG1RYLQ6FRWWVGDOH$UL]

September 18, 2015 Aerotech News and Review 3

www.aerotechnews.com ........ facebook.com/aerotechnewsandreview