Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC
Producibility initiatives are driving down the estimated production costs for the F-22, says the Lockheed Martin/Boeing/-Pratt & Whitney design team. Now similar programmes have been launched to reduce development and support costs for the USAir Force's next generation air-superiority fighter.
The three companies have together invested $150 million in producibility improvements which are expected to reduce the cost of producing the 339 planned F-22s by over $2 billion. "We are seeing a 15-to-1 payback [on these initiatives]," says F-22 programme general manager Tom Burbage, adding: "We picked the high payoff changes." A further investment of $70 million is planned, which is expected to result in a production cost reduction of $500 million.
The producibility initiatives are part of an overall production cost reduction plan designed to save $12 billion and bring the F-22 programme in under the USAF's budgeted $40.7 billion. Independent estimates have put the programme cost at $46-48 billion, but Burbage believes F-22 production will be on or under budget.
Other cost reduction measures agreed include avoiding duplication of tooling by delaying start-up of the Air Force's organic depot maintenance capability until after F-22 production is completed in 2013. Tooling used for production will then be transferred to the depot, saving over $2 billion.
The team plans to exploit "lean enterprise" processes during production to reduce costs by another $2 billion, Burbage says. Further savings are expected when either Boeing or Lockheed Martin wins the Joint Strike Fighter contest, he says, because overheads will be shared. The Air Force, meanwhile, is hoping to persuade Congress to allow F-22s to be procured under a cost-saving multi-year contract.
Operating costs will be reduced by making the prime contractors responsible for logistic support for the first 100,000h in service, or until about 2008, Burbage says. Avionics suppliers will provide support until the Air Force's depot becomes operational in 2013.
Contractor cost-reduction efforts are being jeopardised, however, by Congressional demands that flight test milestones are met before long-lead funding for production is released.
The team has received $70 million in long-lead funding for the first two production F-22s. Burbage says Lockheed Martin and Boeing have advanced their suppliers another $60 million to cover the next batch of six and so achieve the cost savings of ordering components for eight aircraft at once.
Long-lead funding for those six aircraft will not be released, however, until F-22 flight testing has passed 183h and demonstrated key test points. The goal is to fulfil those requirements by late November.
Keeping flight testing on schedule is important, Burbage says, because "..we are at risk [for the $60 million]. We can wait until December or January [for release of the long-lead funding], but we can't deal with a delay to April."
Source: Flight International
