|
The Weapon System
The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact multirole fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. In an air combat role, the F-16s maneuverability and combat radius exceed that of all potential threat fighters. It can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low flying aircraft in radar ground clutter. In an air-to-surface role, it can fly more than 500 miles to its target, deliver its ordnance with superior accuracy, defend itself against hostile aircraft, and return to its base.
The F-16 System Program Office (SPO) approach to R-TOC involves the
institutionalization of an R-TOC mindset throughout the F-16 community. A Cost Reduction Integrated
Product Team (CRIPT) has been established and SPO personnel receive
R-TOC training. The CRIPT is tasked with the identification and analysis of
cost drivers with an eye to identifying and securing funding for Cost
Reduction Initiatives. The SPO is also exploring the potential for international cooperation efforts to support TOC reduction initiatives.
The F-16 SPO has implemented two product support-reengineering initiatives: a system of Service-Level Agreements and Government Performance Assessment Reports for improving supply support and the Combined Life-Time Support program. The latter is a prototype public/private partnering strategy currently under contract to enhance overall product support to the warfighter
In October 2000, the F-16 was one of four R-TOC Pilot Programs
designated to experiment with performance agreements with users,
performance agreements with support providers, and program-specific
working capital funds. (The other three are Abrams tank system,
Guardrail/Common Sensor, and the EA-6B Prowler.)
Production Status, Population, and Planned Life
The F-16A first flew in December 1976, with the first operational jet
delivered in January 1979. There are nearly 1400 F-16 aircraft in the U.
S. inventory at present (530+ in the active force, 560+ in the Air
National Guard, and 60+ in Reserve squadrons). The total number of
operational F-16s is over 3000, with 22 other nations operating the
fighter. It is expected to remain in the USAF inventory out to FY 2025.
Prime contractor: Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.
Office of Primary Responsibility: F-16 System Program Director, Aeronautical Systems Center, WPAFB, OH.
R-TOC Focus Areas: (From USD (AT&L) memorandum dated May 10, 1999)
The SPO's approach is to assign cost reduction goals to various
stakeholders and to track implementation
of R-TOC reduction initiatives through regular CRIPT meetings.
1. Reduced demand from weapon systems via reliability and maintainability improvements
- Lightweight Wheels and Brakes (Funded Improved Item Replacement Program)
- Heads-Up Display Electronic unit (HUD EU) [Pre Block 40, R&D partially funded via Commercial Operations and Support Savings Initiative (COSSI)]
- Maintenance-Free Battery (Contract Awarded; fielding began June 2002)
- Ring Laser Gyro [Block 40/42, replace LN-39: MTBDD: increase from 364 to 725 hours]
- Falen Fix (ALR-56M Super Heterdyne Modification for Moisture Intrusion)
- Electronic Lubricant (Corrosion Prevention) [Follow on study at SRU level funded by Productivity, Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (PRAM); application viable across DoD System - Multi Service]
- Hydraulic Filter Change [Go from On-Demand to 600hr Time Change; replace 15 micron filters with 5 micron filters]
- Falcon Flex [A set of funded and proposed initiatives to improve reliability and reduce TOC in avionics items through use of performance specifications and F3I on unstable, rapidly changing technolgoy; the initial focus is on DMS long poles, low reliability items, and expensive spares buys, with a longer term emphasis on top-down analysis to identify high payoff LRUs and subsystem candidates for improvement]
2. Reduced supply chain response times, leading to reduced spares, system support footprint, and depot needs
- International Technical Order (T.O.) Digitization; digitizes
"O"-level T.O.s across USAF, FMS, & EPAF fleets [funded]
- On-Board Oxygen Generating System (OBOGS) [safer; reduced SE
requirements; reduced HAZMAT issues; partially funded]
- Common Electronic Attack Pod Support Equipment [Diminishing
Manufacturing Sources/Obsolescence issues for ALQ-131/184 pods Test
Station; Multi-platform initiative - F-16, A-10, and C-130]
- Falcon Score (Process Improvement) [Depot Relief allows: unit
workload disbursement; kits and required Parts arrive at depot prior
to Aircraft]
- Landing Gear PDM (Process Improvement) [Time Change versus
On-Demand for selected components]
3. Competitive sourcing of product support, leading to streamlining and overhead reductions
- Combined Life-Time Support Program [a prototype partnering strategy for product support].
- Falcon Flex [Firm Fixed Price Contract incentivizes manufacturers to build more reliable components]
Performance-based Pilot Activities
The F-16 is one of four R-TOC Pilot Programs selected in October 2000 to experiment with:
- Establishment of formal performance agreements between the program managers and their warfighter customers based on warfighter expectations and mission availability, particularly for legacy systems.
- Use of program-specific formal agreements (or "contracts") with organic providers based on output and availability.
- Use of a program-specific working capital fund to pool funding sources and provide a robust financial base for the program managers to fund product support providers to meet mission availability expectations.
The F-16 program office completed and signed a MOU with Air Combat
Command/DRA 16 in June 2001. Key features call for the SPO to submit a
prioritized list of common and peculiar sustaining engineering (SE)
requirements to ACC and for ACC to provide necessary funding. The
program office also reviewed existing service level agreements (SLAs)
with organic providers to identify necessary changes. R-TOC language
was tailored into each agreement.
The program concluded that it was not in its best interest to establish
an F-16 working capital fund.
Links:
|
