In a First, F-35, F-22 Jets Updated with Software from Third Party Vendors

U.S.A.F. F-35A Lightning II jets made its first flight with a complement of software applications developed by government and industry providers previously tested on the F-22 Raptor.

The Air Force said this flight demonstrated for the first time the ability to use the same tactical software applications on both stealth fighters. It used F-35s from the 461st Flight Test Squadron.

That success was immediately followed by another milestone when those applications were updated by software developers at Hill Air Force Base, Utah and flown at Edwards AFB less than 24 hours later.

These F-35 flights were the latest successes of an innovation project developed by a team of Edwards AFB’s test pilots, software developers from the 309th Software Engineering Group and the Air Combat Command Federal Laboratory. This project has now accomplished three key advancements that team members call game-changers for the future of the stealth-fighter fleet, and potentially all Defense Department aircraft.

These innovations are the ability to use the same software across different military aircraft; the ability to source that software from a diverse set of suppliers including software industry leaders and government labs; and the ability to update that software in less than a day, 30-60 times faster than previously possible. Together these improvements are poised to deliver cutting-edge technology to the stealth fighter fleet at a fraction of the current time and cost, team members said.

Historically, military aircraft have relied solely on the aircraft manufacturer to perform software upgrades or modifications, with limited ability to integrate software from external vendors. Additionally, because of the integrated nature of stealth aircraft software, development and implementation of software changes have previously required a lengthy process, limiting front-line aircraft to annual software updates regardless of operational developments and requirements.

In short, each aircraft required a unique development and testing process, driving up costs and delaying implementation.

To change this dynamic, the team partnered to develop and implement a government-owned and -controlled “app store” for these fighters. This was accomplished by combining government-owned software architecture with advanced processing onboard these aircraft and setting up a government software space for new tactical software. The team is now working to populate this space with the advanced capabilities these fighters need to maintain their dominance in the skies.

“The ability to use common software across the F-35 and F-22 is going to dramatically change how we bring capabilities to the front line,” said Lt. Col. Raven LeClair, project co-founder and F-35 test pilot. “Now, instead of having to define, purchase, test and field a software capability on each aircraft individually, we can gain a lot of efficiencies by developing a capability once and fielding it on all 5th gen fighters, saving hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more, in development costs and saving years in development time.”

The team also highlighted the benefits brought by access to a larger pool of software providers.