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The JSF UK Industry Team is an informal
alliance between BAE SYSTEMS, MBDA, Martin-Baker, Rolls-Royce
and Smiths Aerospace.
It has three principal aims:
1. To ensure that UK Industry continues
to play a major role during the production phase of the programme,
creating value and employment and thereby sustaining a competitive
UK defence industry.
2. To broker and subsequently lead the
European elements of JSF production and sustainment, optimising
both UK operational capability and UK Industry’s involvement.
3. To ensure that UK products, such as
helmets and missiles, are qualified as
early as possible and are promoted to customers on the same
terms as the incumbent US alternatives.
BAE
SYSTEMS, Martin-Baker, Rolls-Royce and Smiths Aerospace have
been part of the JSF programme since its inception. Their
innovation, experience and knowledge have contributed significantly
to the programme’s success. UK Industry has secured
significant elements of work competitively and on merit.
MBDA, one of the world’s foremost
missile system companies, has developed several products,
qualification of which on the Joint Strike Fighter would
bring enormous interoperability benefits, provide genuine
customer choice and create a significant export opportunity.
All these companies have invested considerable
amounts of money and proprietary information in the programme
and now seek equitable financial returns through long term
participation. However there are no guarantees of involvement
in future phases, and increasing political pressures risk
distorting the allocation of future work within Europe.
At risk is the independence of UK industrial
and military capability. There is a short, one-time opportunity
for UK industry to secure a meaningful, profitable and long-term
role on the programme, but this requires the aspirations
of Government and Industry to be closely aligned. This website
complements other activities being performed by the Team
to raise awareness and promote discussion amongst key UK
decision shapers and makers.
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Goals for the UK
Operational: Secure sovereign
ability to conduct operations and receive priority repair/modification.
Technological: Maintain UK’s
lead in key aerospace technologies. Enable UK access to emerging
technologies.
Industrial: Safeguard vital
aerospace jobs and skill base. Open export markets for UK alternative
offerings e.g. missile and helmet
Political: Preserve UK as a
leading military, aerospace and industrial power. Retain benefits
of early commitment to JSF through programme life.
JSF UK Industry Team Members and their contribution
to the JSF Programme:
BAE SYSTEMS
MBDA
MARTIN-BAKER
ROLLS-ROYCE
SMITH
The SDD Phase is estimated to be worth £1.6billion
to BAE Systems in the UK and a further £0.5billion to BAE
Systems North America.
The value of the subsequent production phase
is estimated to be as much as £11billion to BAE Systems in the UK and £3billion
in the US, whilst export sales and support, training and other
business opportunities, such as upgrade programmes, represent
further significant sales opportunities.
BAE Systems’ participation is spread
across many of its operations, encompassing manufacturing facilities
at Warton and
Samlesbury (Lancashire), avionics facilities at Rochester (Kent)
and Edinburgh, and many sites across North America.
BAE Systems brings a rich heritage of Short
Take-Off and Vertical Landing (STOVL) experience from the Harrier
programme as well
as advanced lean manufacturing technology, recently honed on
the Typhoon programme, from its facilities at Warton and Samlesbury.
The aft fuselage and empennage (tails and fins) for each JSF
will be designed, engineered and built at Samlesbury, using the
latest in advanced development and manufacturing technology.
BAE Systems is also involved in key areas
of the weapon system’s
design, such as mission systems, the vehicle management system
and autonomic logistics. BAE Systems Platform Solutions Sector
is providing the aircraft’s Vehicle Management Computer,
the AIS (Active Interceptor System) and the Integrated Electronic
Warfare Systems division is responsible for the Electronic Warfare
System and significant parts of the CNI (Computing, Navigation
and Identification) System whilst the UK-based Avionics Division
is supplying the Laser for the EOTS (Electro-Optical Targeting
System).
With an annual turnover exceeding € 2 billion (US$ 2.2
billion), a forward order book of € 14 billion (US$ 15.2
billion) and over 70 customers world wide, MBDA is a world leading,
global missile systems company.
MBDA’s ASRAAM, Storm Shadow and
Brimstone are all threshold weapons for JSF. ASRAAM is in Block
3 (SDD) and Brimstone and
Storm Shadow are in Block 4.
Consequently, MBDA is currently supporting, under contract from
Lockheed Martin via BAE SYSTEMS, the integration and clearance
of ASRAAM and the provision of Storm Shadow and Brimstone on
JSF within the System Development and Demonstration (SDD) contract.
Future weapons such as Meteor are expected to be added to the
platform in due course.
MBDA’s objective is to support the JSF Team in producing
the best integration solution for these 3 weapons in terms
of carriage, release, system integration, weapon operations
and performance. MBDA working with the JSF Team will aim not
only to produce the best solution but also implement these
in a cost effective and timely manner.
Historically, MBDA has vast experience
of the development and integration of air launched weapon systems
onto both European
and US aircraft. ASRAAM, for example has been integrated with
the Tornado, Eurofighter, F-16 and F-18 aircraft. MBDA’s
experience reflects the use of both advanced modelling techniques,
wind tunnel testing and trials to streamline and reduce the costs
of weapons integration programmes.
Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd (MBA) is the
world's longest established and most experienced manufacturer
of ejection seats and related
survival equipment. Ejection is obviously a last resort for aircrew;
7,026 aircrew owe their lives to Martin-Baker equipment and a
staggering 1 in 10 of the ejection seats manufactured to date
have saved a life. Every facet of the safety system from initiation,
escape path clearance, ejection sequencing, stabilisation, life
support and parachute descent to final rescue, must work perfectly
to safeguard a precious life. The aircrew member must also reach
the ground uninjured, especially in a hostile environment, if
they are to have the best possible chance of survival and recovery.
Martin-Baker was selected for the F-35 because of its demonstrable
ability to offer a fully integrated escape system that satisfies
the very latest in pilot operational capability and safety standards
offering a complete 'end-to-end service' from helping the customer
to establish operational safety and escape requirements, design,
development and qualification, to ongoing support throughout
the entire service life of the aircraft.
The System Development & Demonstration
(SDD) ejection seat that MBA proposed to Lockheed Martin is
a further development
of the Mk16 range that has already been successful for the Raytheon
Texan II (JPATS), the Eurofighter Typhoon, the NASA T-38 upgrade
program and other numerous aircraft platforms around the world.
For SDD, the ejection seat (common to all 3
F-35 aircraft variants) is known as the Mk16E and will provide
an unprecedented balanced
optimisation, between key performance parameters such as safe
terrain clearance, physiological loading, pilot
boarding mass and accommodation (the widest aircrew population
on record), to fullymeet the F-35 Escape System requirements.
The Mk16E’s prime structural elements comprise the well
established twin catapult arrangement that is housed in a side-rail
arrangement, and a 19.5” wide seat bucket that is based
on the NASA T-38 design to ensure accommodation of the larger
aircrew. The seat design is highly modularised and provides ease
of seat removal with the canopy in-situ. The seat is lightweight
whilst at the same time providing a 30gx crash and egress capability.
SDD has introduced other challenging
technical performance requirements. The adoption of the Helmet
Mounted Display (HMD) as the prime
means of flight data display (“virtual HUD”) for
the extended aircrew population has introduced unprecedented
head and neck load requirements, whilst an auto-eject system
has been introduced to counter the lift-fan failure condition
for the F-35B STOVL aircraft.
During the first 48 months of the SDD
programme, MBA will develop the ejection seat system and all
its related components and sub-systems,
culminating in the delivery of 14 flight seats for the SDD flight
development aircraft. The subsequent 78 months between System
Development & Demonstration (SDD) first flight and FRIP (Full
Rate Production) will be spent maturing the overall escape system,
supporting the flight development aircraft and preparing for
FRIP.
Rolls-Royce is engaged in two distinct activities
on the JSF Programme during the Development Phase:
· Teamed
with Pratt & Whitney on the design and development
of the STOVL LiftSystem™, and
· Teamed with General Electric
(GE) on the design and development of the F136 engine, a new
engine designed
to be fully interchangeable
with the incumbent F135.
Rolls-Royce is teamed
with Pratt & Whitney
to develop the F135 STOVL Propulsion System for Joint Strike
Fighter (JSF) and
ensure interchangeability with the joint GE/Rolls-Royce Fighter
Engine Team’s F136 engine. The Rolls-Royce LiftSystem provides
operators with STOVL capability, regardless of engine choice.
The Rolls-Royce LiftSystem comprise 3
principal components: Rolls-Royce LiftFan™, 3 Bearing
Swivel Module (3BSM) and Roll Posts.
The LiftFan, a 50-inch two-stage counter rotating fan capable
of generating more than 20,000lbs of thrust, is driven from a
conventional gas turbine and supplies the forward vertical lift.
The 3BSM is a swivelling jet pipe capable of redirecting the
rear thrust from the horizontal to the vertical position. It
can rotate through 95 degrees in 2.5 seconds and passes 18,000lbs
of thrust. Aircraft roll control is achieved using the Roll Posts
mounted in the wings of the aircraft, each of which provides
further 1,950lbs thrust.
Rolls-Royce is managing the overall development
and integration programme from its site in Bristol, UK, which
is also responsible
for the Rolls-Royce LiftFan™ turbomachinery, 3BSM and Roll
Post designs. The team in Indianapolis, US, will provide the
system’s gearbox, clutch, driveshaft and nozzle and will
conduct the build and verification testing of the LiftFan.
The USG has funded the development of the rival F136 engine,
which will provide customers with a choice of engine in time
for low rate initial production. GE Aircraft Engines, with responsibility
for 60 percent of the program, is developing the compressor,
coupled turbine, controls and accessories, structures and the
augmentor. Rolls-Royce, with 40 percent of the program, is responsible
for the fan, combustor, low-pressure turbines and gearboxes.
Smiths Aerospace draws together the expertise of three key companies;
legacy Smiths Industries, the former TI Dowty group and Lear
Siegler of the US.
Smiths has continued to win key contracts on the JSF programme,
to the extent that it the range of contracts already secured
are valued in excess of $10 billion over the lifetime of the
aircraft.
Key F-35 systems from Smiths now include:
· standby flight display system, electrical
power management system, remote input / output data concentrator
unit (Cheltenham UK)
· weapons control and data electronics (Michigan,
Maryland and Florida)
· engine and LiftFan™ debris
monitoring system (Southampton UK)
· LiftFan™ hose
and tube system (New Hampshire and Massachusetts)
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integrated
canopy frame assembly (Southampton UK)
.
actuation systems and
components included in the propulsion system and airframe
(New Jersey, Indiana, Washington and Wolverhampton
UK)
Smiths Aerospace have
repeatedly demonstrated their commitment to the programme by
investment such as the new Wolverhampton
test facility to develop and qualify actuation equipment, funded
partly through the JSF programme and also Smiths internal capital
expenditure.
Smiths Aerospace Group Managing Director,
John Ferrie summarises Smiths’ capabilities, “Our combined integrated systems
in electronics, actuation, engine components and aircraft structures
offer unique solutions for the F-35. The overall programme will
bring greater value to F-35 customers through the use of common
test systems tailored to each supplier’s requirements.
Smiths are delighted to bring value in F-35 integrated solutions
as a first tier supplier.”
LINKS
www.baesystems.com
www.mbda.net
www.martin-baker.com
www.rollsroyce.com
www.smiths.com
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