Page 49 - Lessons-Learned-at-Pax-River_Neat

In testing, the concern about cascading failure states is always very high when you start
to operate the airplane. This concern is based on the general fact that once you integrate
everything, a small problem all of a sudden can cascade into an enormous problem.

What I will say has been absolutely outstanding in the F-35 design has been the robust-
ness of failure accommodations on the airplane. When systems fail, it is difficult for me
to come up with examples of things that have not generally displayed tremendous —
tremendously good — robustness. And, by robustness, I mean being able to isolate the
problem while being able to continue operating the aircraft.

Shaping a Way Ahead: Lessons Learned from Dunkirk

The F-35 working with robotic elements and with new weapons can empower a dis-
tributed operations approach. This approach is being tested out at various centers of in-
novation within the U.S. military and will be synergistic with allied partners.

Traditional assets, such as the large deck amphibious ship or the large-deck carrier, will
be rethought as the new approach and new capabilities are introduced into the force.

Continuing to invest in past approaches and capabilities makes little sense. And ulti-
mately, the fifth-generation aircraft and associated systems can drive significant cultural
change.

But there is nothing inevitable here.

The United States is at a crucial turning point. In a stringent budgetary environment
and with a demand to shape a post-Afghan military, the crucial requirement is to invest
in the future not the past.

But it is not just about airframes or stuffing as much as you can in legacy aircraft. The
new aircraft represent a sea change with significant savings in terms of fleet costs and
overall capability at the same time.

The sustainability of the new aircraft is in a world significantly different from legacy

aircraft. Digital maintenance is part of the revolution in sustainability. The sustainability

Second Line of Defense Lessons Learned at Pax River

!

!4 8