F 35 fighter jet 1.5 trillion

Importance Of Efficient Executive Program Management And The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program

F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program

APUS

March 12, 2017

Abstract*

Executive Program Managers are responsible for the outcome of programs. An effective program manager proactively plans programs and holds people accountable to his/her responsibilities. They must be effective in all areas of management to ensure that the program he/she manages stays on track and within the program guidelines. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program is an example of a program that faced many struggles that may have been avoided with an effective program manager. The Joint Strike Fighter is the most extensive military program in history costing an estimated 1.5 trillion dollars. There have been numerous development issues, cost overruns, and delays. In addition to these issues, there have been other concerns over the jets’ computer systems. It has been reported Chinese hackers successfully stole classified data that was later used to manufacture an indigenous jet that shares many of the characteristics of the F-35 (Pike, John 2012). Although these are issues are cause for the concern, the program continues. Today, the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corp are all testing their variants of the aircraft. That said, the military planners remain acutely aware of the plane's myriad of problems. This paper will examine the F-35 program. Discussion on its development failures, successes, and improvements will be evaluated to illustrate the importance of an effective executive program manager.

Introduction*

Global stability and security remain the goals of the US Military. The organization has been successful in its military operations by ensuring that they have control of the skies. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is designed to penetrate and defeat the most advanced military systems on land, at sea, and in the air. It is also designed to defeat emerging systems that are not yet in operation today. The everchanging technology of fighter aircraft around the globe from both allies and adversaries reinforces the need for the F-35’s new technologies and advances capabilities (Boyd, Ryan 2016). Through numerous partnerships around the world, the Joint Strike Fighter provides military forces with an unprecedented level of capability and support (Pike, John 2012). Today, America and its allies have smaller fleets of combat jets, and those jets, on average, are 25 years or older. Military planners around the world recognize the need to replace their aging fleets with modern aircraft, and the Joint Strike Fighter was designed for this very purpose. The Joint Strike Fighter Program is the largest military program in history. It will serve the United States Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corp, as well as America’s closest allies including the United Kingdom, Canada, Israel, Japan and others (Boyd, Ryan 2016).

Literature Review*

Boyd, Ryan. "F-35A Lightning II." Military.com. Ryan Boyd, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017

"Improvements Made to F-35 Fighter Jets after Troubling Audit." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

It's been a topsy-turvy few weeks for the F35 program: While the F35program has... by Christian Davenport:

Pike, John. "Military." F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.

Trump takes aim at Pentagon's 'revolving door' and Lockheed Martin's $400 billion F35 program:... by Christian Davenport

The articles listed above explore the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program in detail. Details about the reasons that led to the start of the program along with a detailed history including both the successes and failures of the program are evaluated and will be used in this paper to show the importance of having an effective Executive Program Manager.

Findings*

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program was implementd to replace several fourth-generation platforms including the FA-18 Super Hornet, F-16 Fighting Falcon, and the U.S. Marine and U.K. Harrier Jump Jets. The jets are stealthy replacements for the legacy airframes that have been in operation since the 1970s and 1980s. The program should continue to give these countries a military edge over potential adversaries such as Russia and China. Both Russia and China are developing their own fifth-generation platforms, but many believe they are inferior to their Western counterparts. China has been accused of stealing design secrets from the F-22 and F-35 programs (Pike, John 2012). This is believed to have expedited the development of their own platforms. The Joint Strike Fighter is a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed for many missions with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft. In the past, certain missions required specialized aircraft. Today these specialized missions including surveillance, reconnaissance, intelligence, and electronic attack missions can be completed using one aircraft, the F-35. This is a new capability to many allied forces. The F-35 is developed, produced, and supported by an international team of leading aerospace companies. As the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin continues its 100-year history of aircraft research and design with the Lightning II. Principal partners Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems build the center and aft fuselages, respectively (Pike, John 2012). Northrop Grumman also brings its expertise in carrier aircraft and low-observable stealth technology to the F-35 program and supports logistics, sustainment, modeling and simulation and mission planning. BAE Systems contributes a rich heritage of capabilities, including short takeoff and vertical landing experience, advanced lean manufacturing, flight testing and air systems sustainment. Pratt & Whitney builds the F-35's F135 propulsion system, the world's most powerful fighter engine (Pike, John 2012). The list is impressive, however there are issues plaguing the program.

Conclusion*

The US Department of Defense’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program has been plagued with technical issues and cost overruns. The manufacturer, Lockheed Martin has been accused of exaggerating the true costs of the program to increase its own revenues and profits by overcharging the government and tax payers (Davenport, Christian 2016). Today, many of the technical issues have been corrected, but skeptics continue to voice concerns about the overall costs. Recently, the aircraft manufacturer reached a deal with President Trump that results in a price decrease per unit (Davenport, Christian 2016). If the program manager were effective throughout the entire process, many of the pitfalls may have been avoided. Military equipment decisions are some of the most important decisions that military leaders must make. These decisions are costly and long lasting. For example, many skeptics argued that the advent of advanced missile systems would render the Aircraft Carrier obsolete after being the predominant naval platform in World War ll. However, the US military planners did not agree and continued to develop more advanced aircraft carriers as well as accompanying systems to help protect from missile systems. One of those protections is the Arleigh Burke guided missile and defense platform. This type of weapon system was never envisioned in World War ll, and today is one of the most advanced systems in the world. Another example is stealth technology. The US Air Force has made this the cornerstone of all future platforms. Today, the B-2 bomber, F-22 fighter, and F-35 systems are considered the most advanced aircraft in the world. They give the US military a competitive edge over competition and this will remain in the future. Choosing the wrong system could be costly and result in an ineffective military force. The Joint Strike Fighter has weathered the storm is undergoing final testing to become operational. The improvements put in place by the Executive Program Manager corrected many of the issues that plagued the program and now the US Military and its allies are positioned to control the battlefield for the foreseeable future.

References

Boyd, Ryan. "F-35A Lightning II." Military.com. Ryan Boyd, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017

Davenport, Christian. "It's Been a Topsy-turvy Few Weeks for the F-35 Program: While the F-35 Program Has Stabilized, Drama Still Follows the Pentagon's Most Expensive Weapons System Everywhere." Washington Post – Blogs. Washington: WP LLC D/b/a The Washington Post, 2016. N. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2017.

Davenport, Christian. "Trump Takes Aim at Pentagon's 'revolving Door' and Lockheed Martin's $400 Billion F-35 Program: Trump Has Called for a 'lifetime Restriction' of Top Defense Officials Going to Work for Defense Contractors." Washington Post – Blogs. Washington: WP LLC D/b/a The Washington Post, 2016. N. pag. Web. 5 Mar. 2017

"Improvements Made to F-35 Fighter Jets after Troubling Audit." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 30 Sept. 2013. Web. 05 Mar. 2017.

Pike, John. "Military." F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2017.