Graham Warwick/WASHINGTON DC
The Lockheed Martin/Boeing/Pratt &Whitney F-22 team has signed to milestones which must be met if production of the US Air Force fighter is to be approved at the end of 2000.
The most challenging milestone, says programme general manager Bob Rearden, is to begin flight testing the Block 3.0 software in the F-22 before a US Defense Acquisition Board meeting set for next December to decide whether to approve low-rate initial production (LRIP).
The software milestone is part of a revised contract signed by the team after Congress blocked the LRIP decision set for this month. The $1.08 billion agreement covers manufacture of six more production-representative test vehicles (PRTVs) and long-lead funding for 10 LRIP Lot 1 aircraft.
Rearden says the milestones agreed for next year include:
• completing the final air vehicle production readiness review - described as "low risk";
• flying development aircraft 4003, 4004, 4005 and 4006 - expected between March and October;
• completing fuselage, wing and empennage mate of aircraft 4008 - described as "doable";
• completing static testing - expected by September;
•initiating fatigue testing and complete 40% of the first life - also expected by September.
Two software milestones have been agreed. The most challenging, Rearden says, is the Congressionally mandated requirement to begin testing the "unique functionality" of the Block 3.0 software release in the F-22.
The Block 3.0 avionics software introduces sensor fusion capability. A reduced-scope release, Block 3S, will fly in the F-22 in the middle of next year. Rearden says the full Block 3.0 release is due for delivery by the end of October, allowing it to fly in the F-22 in November. This represents an acceleration of 60 days over the previous schedule.
Block 3.0 also requires upgrades to the F-22's head-down displays. The software and hardware "is on track, but there is not a lot of margin", Rearden says. To meet the Congressional requirement to begin unique functionality testing by year-end, the team plans to start radar testing early.
The second software milestone agreed for 2000 is to complete the critical design review on the Block 3.1 software, set to fly in mid-2001.
Three other milestones have been agreed, Rearden says: initiating radar cross-section flight testing; starting high-angle-of-attack tests with weapon-bay doors open; and beginning air-to-air missile separation testing. The latter will involve an unguided AIM-9 launch from a side bay and an inert AIM-120 ejection from a main bay.
The new agreement means the team is now under contract to produce 17 F-22s - nine development aircraft and eight PRTVs. The six PRTVs added to the programme will be used for follow-on testing, Rearden says.
Source: Flight International
