Fighter planes for the twenty-first century

Citation

(2000), "Fighter planes for the twenty-first century", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 72 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2000.12772bab.042

Fighter planes for the twenty-first century

Fighter planes for the twenty-first century

Keywords: Aerosystems International, Boeing, Defence, Contracts

A live satellite link between Aerosystems International's Yeovil HQ and the roll-out ceremony for the Boeing Joint Strike Fighter (SF) X-32 aircraft in Palmdale, California took place recently. The ceremony marked the transition to flight from assembly for Boeing's strike fighter and marks AeI's involvement in what is likely to be the biggest aircraft contract in the next century.

The aim of the Boeing Joint Strike Fighter Program is to develop an affordable next generation strike fighter. Intended for UK defence, it is a contender to replace RN Sea Harrier and RAF GR7 Harrier to be operated under the Joint Force 2000. For the US services, it will replace the USAF F-16 and A-10; it will complement the USN F/A-18E/F and it will replace the USMC Harrier AV-8B and F/A-18C/D. The Joint Strike Fighter will also be developed to meet the needs of other allied nations, and could lead to a production requirement in excess of 3,000 aircraft.

Boeing is competing with Lockheed Martin for the JSF contract and the decision is expected in the first quarter of 2001, with operational capability in 2008. AeI is a member of the Boeing One Team, a group of specially selected world class companies. To the Boeing team, Aerosystems brings its considerable expertise in Logistic Support, IT, Health and Usage Monitoring, Prognostics Health Monitoring and Maintenance Management Systems as well as overall systems integration expertise. This has ensured that Aerosystems is a key player in the Boeing Integrated Support System, jointly developing the JSF Autonomic Logistic system.