WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.770 --> 00:00:04.437 [triumphant military music] 2 00:00:14.490 --> 00:00:17.110 The F-35 Lightning II fighter has generated 3 00:00:17.110 --> 00:00:20.020 a lot of hype and a lot of hate over the past decade. 4 00:00:20.020 --> 00:00:21.870 But the next three years will see a major change 5 00:00:21.870 --> 00:00:23.660 to the aircraft that will, with any luck, 6 00:00:23.660 --> 00:00:25.330 at least mute some of the hate, 7 00:00:25.330 --> 00:00:27.140 or otherwise, just add billions more 8 00:00:27.140 --> 00:00:28.300 to the cost of the aircraft. 9 00:00:28.300 --> 00:00:31.210 The Tech Refresh 3 program for the F-35 10 00:00:31.210 --> 00:00:33.840 includes an upgrade to the aircraft's core processor 11 00:00:33.840 --> 00:00:35.700 and memory and the replacement of the aircraft's 12 00:00:35.700 --> 00:00:38.610 panoramic big-screen display that is the user interface 13 00:00:38.610 --> 00:00:41.230 for many of the aircraft's sensors and systems. 14 00:00:41.230 --> 00:00:43.180 There are also radar upgrades and some 15 00:00:43.180 --> 00:00:45.192 weapons-handling hardware changes in store, 16 00:00:45.192 --> 00:00:47.350 line:15% but a vast proportion of the upcoming changes 17 00:00:47.350 --> 00:00:48.450 line:15% will be in software. 18 00:00:48.450 --> 00:00:51.380 line:15% Unfortunately, software continues to be the Achilles' heel 19 00:00:51.380 --> 00:00:53.780 of the F-35 program, in more ways than one. 20 00:00:53.780 --> 00:00:56.100 Many of the Tech Refresh 3 planned additions 21 00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:57.340 are mission-focused. 22 00:00:57.340 --> 00:00:59.240 There's a host of new software that will improve 23 00:00:59.240 --> 00:01:01.770 electronic warfare capabilities, add more safety 24 00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:03.120 for the pilot, and allow the fighter 25 00:01:03.120 --> 00:01:04.930 to carry a wider range of weapons. 26 00:01:04.930 --> 00:01:07.700 And there's also possibility that Lockheed Martin 27 00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:11.000 and the Air Force will move to add support for the Skyborg, 28 00:01:11.000 --> 00:01:13.890 the Air Force's attritable drone wingman project. 29 00:01:13.890 --> 00:01:16.260 And the Navy will potentially be adding more capabilities 30 00:01:16.260 --> 00:01:19.000 to support the F-35 acting as a spotter 31 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:21.930 for shipboard interceptor missiles targeting enemy aircraft, 32 00:01:21.930 --> 00:01:24.370 anti-ship missiles, and possibly ballistic missiles. 33 00:01:24.370 --> 00:01:26.510 There's also a separate software project 34 00:01:26.510 --> 00:01:29.020 that may have even a greater day-to-day impact 35 00:01:29.020 --> 00:01:30.820 on the F-35's operations. 36 00:01:30.820 --> 00:01:33.560 The F-35's automated logistics sustainment system, 37 00:01:33.560 --> 00:01:35.780 or ALIS, has been a source of frustration 38 00:01:35.780 --> 00:01:37.350 line:15% for the DOD since its introduction, 39 00:01:37.350 --> 00:01:39.010 with hosts of software problems, 40 00:01:39.010 --> 00:01:40.920 especially with its deployable version, 41 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.160 intended to support operations when network connections 42 00:01:43.160 --> 00:01:44.550 are slow or nonexistent. 43 00:01:44.550 --> 00:01:46.370 ALIS is at least partially responsible 44 00:01:46.370 --> 00:01:48.070 for the problems that the DOD is experiencing 45 00:01:48.070 --> 00:01:50.030 with tracking spare parts for the F-35, 46 00:01:50.030 --> 00:01:51.680 and has been tied to the delivery of parts 47 00:01:51.680 --> 00:01:53.160 that were not ready to be installed, 48 00:01:53.160 --> 00:01:54.610 leading to hundreds of millions of dollars 49 00:01:54.610 --> 00:01:56.190 in additional labor costs the government 50 00:01:56.190 --> 00:01:58.060 is trying to bill back to Lockheed. 51 00:01:58.060 --> 00:01:59.450 The problems were caused by errors 52 00:01:59.450 --> 00:02:01.020 in the digital logs for these parts, 53 00:02:01.020 --> 00:02:04.050 called the Electronic Equipment Logs, or EELs. 54 00:02:04.050 --> 00:02:06.870 While Lockheed Martin continues to work on fixes for ALIS, 55 00:02:06.870 --> 00:02:08.780 the DOD plans to replace the whole thing 56 00:02:08.780 --> 00:02:11.090 with a new, cloud-based, jointly developed system 57 00:02:11.090 --> 00:02:12.600 with a somewhat more ominous name, 58 00:02:12.600 --> 00:02:15.460 the Operational Data Integrated Network, or ODIN, 59 00:02:15.460 --> 00:02:16.790 and the military is going to be shouldering 60 00:02:16.790 --> 00:02:18.860 some of the development effort for ODIN itself, 61 00:02:18.860 --> 00:02:20.080 though how this work will be split 62 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:23.412 between DOD and Lockheed isn't quite clear yet. 63 00:02:23.412 --> 00:02:26.079 [intense music]