Graham Warwick/FORT WORTH
Having produced more digital-era fighters than any other manufacturer, Lockheed Martin should know better than most of its rivals whether the world's combat aircraft will be grounded at the dawn of the new century.
"We are not aware of any airborne issue that has to be resolved," says Robert Elrod, vice-president for the F-16 programme. The US manufacturer has delivered over 4,000 F-16s so far, making it the most widely used fighter to feature digital computers.
"We've been through the aircraft pretty thoroughly," says Elrod. Lockheed Martin's review was limited to contractor furnished equipment, for which the company is responsible. Ensuring government furnished equipment is Y2K capable is the responsibility of the USAir Force's F-16 system programme office (SPO). "We've discussed it with the SPO, and they are not aware of any unresolved issues," he says.
A review of ground-based support equipment such as training devices, automatic test equipment (ATE) and logistic system software revealed a "reasonably small subset of issues", mainly with the depot-level ATE. Solutions, now under way, are "...relatively straightforward and small in number", says Elrod.
"Most airborne systems are not calendar based, and are most likely to use elapsed time," he explains. The real test, Elrod admits, will be when the date rolls over. "We will work with customers to deal with any problems as they occur," he maintains. Meanwhile, the company has made immunity from date rollover problems a specification requirement for any aircraft delivered from 2000 onwards.
A bigger task is ensuring that the company's ability to produce aircraft is not disrupted when the new century dawns. Jack Guthrie, Y2K compliance programme manager at the F-16 plant, says Lockheed Martin as a corporation is taking the problem "very seriously".
The company has formed a programme office, set corporate objectives, established processes, documented guidelines and is "rigorously addressing" all areas of its business, Guthrie says. "The objective is to be Y2K capable with internal business and technical systems by the end of the year," he says. Lockheed Martin is taking the opportunity to retire older computers and upgrade its capabilities at the same time as it renovates its systems.
One issue of particular concern for the F-16 line is the readiness of overseas coproducers and suppliers. The company will be visiting its foreign partners shortly to assess their progress, but Guthrie declines to discuss the issue further, except to say that "Éthe world outside is generally behind the USA."
Lockheed Martin is performing most software renovation work locally, in a joint endeavour with Computer Sciences, its supplier of outsourced information services. In common with other manufacturers, Lockheed Martin is having to work to retain software programmers who are being offered large amounts of money to join the companies now springing up to capitalise on the bow wave of Y2K renovation work. "It's a challenge," Guthrie says.
Source: Flight International
