Air Force, Navy Officials Agree Upon F-35 Depot Workload

WASHINGTON --- Air Force and Navy officials here signed a memo Sept. 16 identifying a new process for allocating F-35 Lightning II depot repair workloads.>> The new process takes into account service competency and experience in determining workload allocation.>> "This was truly a joint effort on the part of the Air Force and the Navy to agree on the majority of the depot workload, ensuring we will have depot repair capability up and running when we need it," said Debra Walker, the deputy assistant secretary for logistics. The F-35, also known as the Joint Strike Fighter, is the largest joint program in the history of the Department of Defense.>> For 80 percent of the major system categories on the Joint Strike Fighter, the services were able to reach early agreement on workload allocation. This agreement was formalized in an Air Force/Navy jointly signed letter to the Joint Program Office for final approval.>> For the remaining 20 percent, which includes software and some avionics systems, a source selection team will be formed, comprised of representatives from all the services and the Joint Program Office.>> Some of the systems the Air Force and Navy officers were able to agree on up front include airframe and engines. The Joint Strike Fighter airframe maintenance, which will be up and running in 2012, will be located at the Fleet Readiness Center-East at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C., and the Ogden Air Logistics Center at Hill Air Force Base, Utah. This includes associated doors, panels, covers and control surfaces.