Lockheed Hands F-35 ‘ALIS’ Logistics System to Test Sites; Mary Ann Horter Comments

Lockheed Martin has delivered the logistics system for the F-35 fighter jet to several flight test sites for validation work ahead of the system’s planned deployment next year.

The U.S. military will evaluate the Autonomic Logistics Information System‘s high-speed data download and other capabilities before the scheduled integration into the F-35 fleet for military operations in 2015, Lockheed said Tuesday.

Mary Ann Horter, vice president of F-35 sustainment support at Lockheed’s mission systems and training, said the company built ALIS to help F-35 pilots view the aircraft’s status “so that they are equipped with the information needed to make proactive decisions and keep the jets flying.”

The military will use ALIS’ logistics and operational data analysis to manage the F-35 fleet, Lockheed said.

ALIS incorporates preventative maintenance, flight scheduling and the mission planning system.

The U.S. Marine Corps plans to start to operate the logistics system in July 2015, followed by the Air Force in 2016 and the Navy in 2018.