New F-35A Squadron Stands Up at Hill

The 4th Fighter Squadron (FS) ‘Fighting Fuujins’ and 4th Aircraft Maintenance Unit (AMU) received its first F-35A at , , last Wednesday, Sept. 27.

The aircraft was flown in by Lt Col Yosef Morris, 4th FS commander, who reflected on the significance of the milestone.

“This jet marks the end of an era and the start of the future for the 388th and 419th Fighter Wings. Both wings are now one hundred percent F-35 units, with the last F-16s leaving the base last week,” he said in a Hill AFB news story. “We established a long, proud history of F-16 operations, supporting our country around the world for four decades. The arrival of the first 4th Fighter Squadron F-35 is the beginning of the next 40-year chapter for the Fuujins.”

The 4th Fighter Squadron joins the 34th Fighter Squadron at Hill AFB. The first operational F-35As arrived at Hill in October 2015. The base currently has 27 F-35As and will eventually be home to 78 aircraft and three operational squadrons by the end of 2019.

Congratulations to the 4th Fighter Squadron and we look forward to watching as the “Fighting Fuujins” continue to do our nation proud.

F-35 Leaders Host a Successful JSF Executive Steering Board Meeting

F-35 government and industry leaders from the and our partner nations gathered in the for the JSF Executive Steering Board (JESB) last week.

I was honored to participate in the meetings, which were focused on a variety of areas where we’re partnering to improve how we build, deliver, sustain and modernize the F-35 weapon system. It was a great engagement that I know will prove valuable as we continue to build momentum across all phases of the program.

While in the Netherlands, we took the opportunity to visit two of our Dutch F-35 suppliers, Aeronamic and Fokker Technologies, where we toured their facilities and discussed how they are driving costs down and improving efficiencies.

Aeronamic supplies the forward module of the Power Thermal Management System (PTMS) and Fokker delivers the in-flight opening doors, flaperons, drag chute pod, arresting gear and harnesses.

Our entire team was impressed with the facilities, quality of work and passion we saw during our visit and I’d like to thank the Aeronamic and Fokker Technologies teams for hosting us and for the critical role they play in the F-35 program. Speed, Agility and Partnership Enable Delivery of Key F-35 Weapons Capability

The F-35 Enterprise is now integrating and testing the GBU-49 missile that will enable the U.S. Air Force F-35A aircraft to defeat moving targets.

In partnership with the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO), U.S. Air Force and Raytheon, we are rapidly delivering this expanded capability to stay ahead of the ever-evolving threats in the world.

In an exclusive interview with Defense News, F-35 Program Executive Office Admiral Winter recently highlighted the effort.

“We have done fit checks, we have done all of the other integration, all of the normal weapons integration — form, fit, function — of GBU-49 on the F-35A. And that was a collaborative effort of industry and the government together, which is a good news story,” Winter said in the story.

This effort is a key example showcasing how we can partner with industry and government to demonstrate speed and agility in delivering critical capabilities. I’d like to thank all those involved in this effort supporting the warfighter and we’re looking forward to continued success.

Performance Based Logistics (PBL) Contracts Provide Cost Savings

We continue to review all areas of our business to drive out cost on the F-35 program both on the aircraft price and operations and sustainment costs. Recent Performance Based Logistics (PBL) arrangements for the F-35’s LM-STAR avionics test equipment and F-35 pilot flight equipment (PFE) have allowed us to make smart, proactive investments in material and labor resources.

In 2018, phase two of the LM-STAR PBL program will start, bringing with it an approximate 20 percent savings when compared to the old pricing model – that’s $16 million saved over the next two years for the F-35 program alone. LM-STAR is a cost-effective test solution used to develop and maintain avionics for the F-35, F-22, F-16 and more.

We also look forward to gaining efficiencies in delivering our pilot flight equipment (PFE). The PBL approach to fitting pilots will save approximately 20 percent in material costs through improved inventory management and continued process improvements.