PILOT PROGRAMS TO
REDUCE TOTAL OWNERSHIP COSTS
(R-TOC)
F-117 NIGHTHAWK
Description
The Weapon System
The F-117A Nighthawk is the world's first operational aircraft designed to exploit low-observable stealth technology. The unique design of the single-seat F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. About the size of an F-15 Eagle, the F-117A is powered by two General Electric F404 turbofan engines and has quadruple redundant fly-by-wire flight controls. Air refuelable, it supports worldwide commitments and adds to the deterrent strength of the U.S. military forces.
The F-117A can employ a variety of weapons and is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems integrated into a state-of-the-art digital avionics suite that increases mission effectiveness and reduces pilot workload. Detailed planning for missions into highly defended target areas is accomplished by an automated mission planning system developed, specifically, to take advantage of the unique capabilities of the F-117A.
Production Status, Population, and Planned Life
The F-117A production decision was made in 1978, with a
contract awarded to Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, the "Skunk
Works," in Burbank, CA. The first F-117A was delivered in 1982, and the last delivery was in the
summer of 1990. The first flight was in 1981, only 31 months
after the full-scale development decision. Air Combat Command's only
F-117A unit, the 4450th Tactical Group, (now the 49th Fighter Wing,
Holloman Air Force Base, NM), achieved operational capability in
October 1983.
Prime contractor: Lockheed Martin Aero-Palmdale (formerly Lockheed Martin Skunkworks), Palmdale, CA
Office of Primary Responsibility: F-117 System Program Director, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright Patterson AFB, OH
R-TOC Focus Areas: (From USD (AT&L) memorandum dated May 10, 1999)
1. Reduced demand from weapon systems via reliability and maintainability improvements
- Increased Engine Build Window. This initiative was plussed-up in the original increment of PBD 721.
- Extended Life Tailpipe Coating.
2. Reduced supply chain response times, leading to reduced spares, system support footprint, and depot needs
- A Just in Time repair concept is employed under the Total
System Sustainment Program (TSSP) contract (described in
Section 3, below). Items are repaired when needed, while ensuring
asset availability when required.
- Single Configuration Fleet (SCF) improves F-117 maintainability
and reduces O&M costs by replacing sheet radar absorbent materials
(RAM) currently residing on the F-117 fleet with more durable
spray-coated RAM. The SCF modification will reduce the number of
Low Observable system configurations within the F-117 fleet from
seven (now) to one, thereby reducing maintenance costs. This
modification will consolidate five different leading edge
configurations into one, reduce technical order and training
requirements, and reduce the number of consumables and spare items
in the supply system. The modification will also redesign the
aircraft's access panels and components for more ease of
maintenance.
- Supply chain response times have been reduced, at least in part
due to these initiatives. For example, in FY99, the average
response time for Maintenance Assistance Requests (MARs) was 8.1
hours (146 received and 146 closed). In FY00, the average response
time for MARs was 5.2 hours (139 received and 139 closed). The
MICAP standard is 72 hours. In FY99 the MICAP average was 33.7. In
FY00, the MICAP average was 36.1 hours, in FY01, 30.3 hours, and in FY02,
27.1 hours.
- Exploring prime vendor contracts to reduce lead times and
cost.
3. Competitive sourcing of product support, leading to streamlining and overhead reductions
- The F-117 support arrangement is a Total System
Sustainment Program (TSSP) contract for sustainment. The contract is
cost plus incentive fee and award fee. The Award fee is 3%, while
the performance incentive fee is 7%. There is a cost incentive
provision within the contract to share all cost reductions (from
contractor-initiated reduction actions) 50/50. It is a five-year
contract, with a three-year extension option. It has a simplified
CLIN structure, with only 4 line items for total support and 11
CDRLs. It has provisions for technical performance, competition in
small business contracting, customer satisfaction, and is evaluated
semi-annually. The AF portion of the underrun was $3.9M in FY99, $6.1M in FY00,
$4.6M in FY01, and $6.0M in FY02.
- The Core retained government functions are overall program
direction, requirements determination, budgeting and financial
execution, contract management, product/service acceptance, and
security. Contractor functions include system engineering,
subcontractor management, system/subsystem integration,
configuration management, item/materiel management,
warehousing/transportation, and direct supply support. In addition
to O&S cost savings, the JSSP contract has resulted in improved
mission performance and a concurrent manpower reduction in the
Program Office of 188 personnel.
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