F-35B C2D2

The F-35 Air Vehicle Program Management Office (AV PMO) development portfolio includes efforts to improve the F-35 air vehicle lethality, survivability, and interoperability in response to emerging threats outlined in the National Security Strategy and Operational Plans. F-35 Block 4 Modernization is designed to counter the full spectrum of evolving near-peer enemy threats to ensure US and Allied forces have freedom of operation even in the face of advanced adversary Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. As designed, Block 4 consists of three principal lines of effort: development of software-based capabilities, development and integration of new and modernized aircraft hardware that enable the development of new capabilities, and new weapons integration. Efforts under the Air Vehicle / Block 4 Planning and Systems Engineering project range from requirements decomposition and preliminary design of capabilities through completion of Developmental Flight Test. These activities are a continuation of the previous Block 4 developmental contracts, and include activities required to enable the successful completion of Flight Test, to include select facility upgrades required for research, development, test and evaluation. Block 4 upgraded capabilities and continuous improvements will maintain Air System viability against the evolving threats indicated in the Electronic Warfare Initial Capabilities Document (ICD), the Fifth Generation Fighter Modernization ICD, and the Block 4 Capability Development Document (CDD). Additionally, the Block 4 capabilities will reduce life cycle cost, improve Air System Integration, and improve operational suitability. Weapons integration efforts under this project deliver increased lethality, effectiveness, situational awareness and operational flexibility, and include M-code GPS compatibility, Advanced Integrated Fire Control implementation, network enabled weapons, increased Air-to-Air missile carriage, and employment envelope expansion. Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) efforts under this project will deliver increased range and effectiveness of the F-35, by providing improved interoperability across joint platforms within a highly contested environment.

Integrated Test activities in support of C2D2, to include Lockheed Martin support at all test sites. Non-recurring engineering required to plan for the service life extension of existing DT aircraft and modifications necessary to bring DT aircraft fleet to a more production-representative and sustainable configuration, and to develop flight test instrumentation and release test software to meet Block 4 requirements. Additional upgrades required to support development and evaluation of improvements driven by changes in the threat environment and as identified in the Electronic Warfare ICD, the Fifth Generation Fighter Modernization ICD, and the Block 4 Capability Development Document (CDD). Efforts include non-recurring engineering and procurement of a test article to evaluate service life of F-35B STOVL Aircraft. Integrated test also supports the evaluation of upgrades to ALIS, fielding of ODIN Base Kits, regression testing of fielded weapons upgrades, and various validation/verification efforts. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions. The FY2027 request for Test & Evaluation includes $142,320 thousand of discretionary funding and $121,019 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) funding for Flight Science Aircraft and Block 4 capability development.

Propulsion F135 projects within the Continuous Capability Development & Delivery (C2D2) are provided for developmental efforts for propulsion systems and test engine requirements such as Block 4 Integrated Flight Test Support, Engine Flight Test Mechanics, Flight Test Engineering, Engine Hardware, Test Engine Procurements, research, component, and capability development, prototypes, various studies, costs integral to support the developmental stages for F-35 engine modernization, affordability drivers for top engine availability degraders, and improvement to support the F135 Propulsion System for the F-35 Air Vehicle. Testing and development of the three F-35 aircraft variants require engine propulsion funding to enable continued flight hours. Flight hours are budgeted and planned to meet the Block 4 Flight Test timelines and required Flight Test support. Transition of Flight Test Support requirements to organic capability includes efforts performed by contractor and government installations, Autonomic Logistics Information System / Operational Data Integrated Network (ALIS/ODIN) transition, replacement of development-only hardware, and updating Joint Technical Data (JTD) packages as required. The F-35 engine is being modernized with the F135 Engine Core Upgrade (ECU), which is part of the Engine, Power, and Thermal Management Modernization (EPM) program. The F135 ECU is projected to recapture engine life for increased affordability while providing additional power and cooling capacity to support future mission systems enhancements for the global F-35 fleet. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions. The FY2027 request for Propulsion includes $47,051 thousand of discretionary funding and $112,500 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) funding for acceleration of Engine and Power Thermal Management timelines.

The F-35 Training Systems & Simulation Program Management Office (TSS PMO) development portfolio is aligned with the program's Continuous Capability Development & Delivery (C2D2) efforts and is organized in three primary lines of effort; Training System Capability Development (TSCD), Training Systems Architecture (TSA) Development, and Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) Development. Training System Capability Development (TSCD): Efforts will continue with a primary focus on alignment of Training System capabilities with other elements of the Air System. Specific efforts will include accelerating development of Block 4 capabilities to equivalent maturity of those in the Air Vehicle, continued development of the Production Runtime Server (PRTS) - Pilot Training Device TR-3 equivalent - to enable Block 4 capabilities, continued development of Live-Virtual-Constructive (LVC) capabilities including Distributed Mission Training (DMT), and appropriate lab infrastructure to enable Training System development. Training Systems Architecture (TSA) Development: Development efforts will continue to focus on modernization of activities outlined in the TSS PMO roadmaps that will target the requirement of bringing higher fidelity training to the warfighter. Specific development and testing efforts focus on software architecture modernization, hardware architecture modernization, and Synthetic Threat Enhancement. Joint Simulation Environment (JSE): Development, integration and testing efforts will continue to focus on keeping F-35 In-A-Box (FIAB) software concurrent with aircraft capabilities and injecting complex threat/sensor models to establish an operationally representative simulation environment required for operational test trial validity, and the completion of Verification, Validation and Accreditation (VV&A) activities for F-35 Block 4 modernization. Efforts will include FIAB development, fidelity and capability upgrades to existing threats/sensors/weapons models, development of new threat/sensor/weapon models, and environment upgrades to enable effective verification of Block 4 capabilities. Efforts will continue toward expansion of JSE capability to F-35 Training Sites. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios.

USMC Unique efforts include USMC Operational Testing and government engineering support, as well USMC systems engineering efforts and other emerging USMC requirements to include Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) supply chain optimization. Continuing efforts include: Non-recurring engineering and procurement of a test article to evaluate service life of F-35B STOVL Aircraft; USMC F-35 Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) integration, F-35 AI/ML informed maintenance and supply tools, M-31 mobile arresting gear testing, Narrow Runway risk reduction efforts, USMC F-35 contested logistics environment solutions, Lab Based Security Assessment (LBSA) testing for Interim Full Motion Video (iFMV) Cross Domain Solution (CDS) improvements introduced to fulfill NSA requirements for cybersecurity.

F-35 Combat Data Systems (CDS) Program Management Office mission includes investment and modernization activities required for Block 4 development, integration, test and evaluation of Mission Data Hardware/Tools, Reprogramming Verification & Validation Systems (RVVS), and Mission Planning Software/Hardware, which includes the Next Generation Open Mission System (NOMS). Funding related to key deliveries to Electronic Warfare Squadrons and F-35 Operational Squadrons and enables government and contractor labor for mission planning and joint reprogramming enterprise. Other costs support Technology Investment for key Modernization / Innovation activities and Cloud-based DevSecOps infrastructure. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions. The FY2027 request for Combat Data Systems includes $20,001 thousand of discretionary funding and $9,500 thousand of mandatory (reconciliation) funding for Block 4 capability development.

Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) is the current F-35 program solution for delivering core maintenance and logistics information solutions to F-35 warfighters. ALIS will continue to deliver the core logistics and maintenance infrastructure requirements for the F-35 enterprise as ALIS evolves into Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN). ALIS includes features such as aircraft scheduling, training delivery, record keeping, technical data delivery, supply chain management, maintenance management, pilot and maintenance debriefing, and mission planning. Current ALIS development efforts are focused on low cost and high return investments that provide a high confidence return on investment in the short term, significant warfighter impact, and/or offer synergy with ODIN development efforts. ODIN will incrementally provide a modern, user-friendly integrated information system for the F-35 to deliver core maintenance and logistics information solutions. ODIN will be comprised of multiple elements to include modern hardware, architectures, software development methods, data environments, and platforms. Leveraging agile and modern software development practices, ODIN will serve as the primary logistics tool to support F-35 warfighter operations, health and diagnostics, mission planning, supply chain management, maintenance, and training. ODIN will substantially decrease F-35 administrator and maintainer workload, increase readiness rates for all F-35 variants, and allow software engineers to rapidly develop and deploy updates in response to changing warfighter requirements and improve data management, quality, and integrity. The ALIS to ODIN transition is intended to enable holistic fleet management, improve performance, enhance readiness, and reduce costs to the F-35 program. ODIN is comprised of both hardware and software which support the flow of Unclassified and Classified aircraft and maintenance-related data. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions.

The F-35 Software Development, Security & Operations (DevSecOps) Cloud platform environment allows for US Government and contracted software development teams to produce, test and deploy capabilities for F-35 supported Project Management Offices (PMO) and Directorates. This includes providing support to the Combat Data Systems (CDS), Air Vehicle (AV), Maintenance Systems (MxSYS), Propulsion, Training Systems and Simulation (TSS) PMOs, and Directorate of Engineering. The mission of DevSecOps is to provide a centralized F-35 Data repository, a consolidated F-35 software development environment, and support for system development lifecycle (SDLC) of the F-35 platform, allowing for rapid release cycles to keep the F-35 ahead of its adversaries. Investment in, and modernization of, DevSecOps include efforts to support F-35 Software modernization efforts, develop organic government software capabilities, support SDLC and flight-testing capabilities, enhance the security posture of the software development pipeline, and support goals of reducing long-term on-premises infrastructure environments cost, ultimately resulting in reducing fleet delivery timelines. Funding allocations at the project level have historically been subject to change due to the complexity of the F-35 budget structure and cost share ratios. The program will ensure any within-PE adjustments during execution year are reflected in future budget submissions.