Lockheed Martin has successfully conducted the first flight of the F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) on the Cooperative Avionics Test Bed (CATBird) platform. Maturation of the Electro-Optical Targeting System on the CATBird is the final step prior to integration on the first mission systems-equipped F-35 test aircraft. "The CATBird’s dynamic flight environment provides the first opportunity to test and evaluate how EOTS integrates into the F-35’s fused sensor architecture," said Rich Hinkle, program director of F-35 EOTS at Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. "After three years of rigorous testing on the Sabreliner aircraft, EOTS is more than ready for CATBird integration and we’re excited to reach this important milestone." The CATBird, a modified 737 aircraft, contains an actual F-35 cockpit and test stations to perform real-time analysis as mission systems are evaluated. The CATBird also provides the capability to fuse sensor information, which mimics how the F-35’s fused sensor architecture will offer pilots higher quality, shared sensor information compared with legacy platforms. The EOTS is mounted under the nose of the F-35 and is an integral part of the aircraft. This provides low drag and stealthy performance. The F-35 EOTS builds upon the success of Lockheed Martin’s Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod to provide high-resolution imagery, automatic target tracking, infrared-search-and-track, laser designation and range finding, as well as laser spot tracking, all at greatly increased standoff ranges. Modular components allow the F-35 EOTS to be maintained on the flight line for true two-level maintenance. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine stealth multirole fighter that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air defense missions. The F-35 has three different models; one is a conventional takeoff and landing variant, the second is a short take off and vertical-landing variant, and the third is a carrier-based variant. The U.S. Air Force will use the conventional model to replace the F-16. The U.S. Navy will use the carrier-based variant to replace the F-18 Hornet. The U.S. Marine Corps and the British Royal Navy will use the short take off/vertical landing version to replace the Harrier. The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Its development is being principally funded by the United States, with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. The F-35 is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. The X-35 demonstrator first flew in 2000, and the F-35's first flight took place on 15 December 2006. The United States intends to buy a total of 2,443 aircraft for an estimated $323 billion, making it the most expensive defense program ever. The USAF's budget data in 2010 projects the F-35 to have an $89 million flyaway cost over its planned production of 1,753 F-35As. Lockheed Martin expects to reduce government cost estimates by 20 percent. The F-35 program has in the past year encountered adverse publicity due to schedule delays and cost growth. On February 1, 2010 Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced that, due to delays and other problems with the JSF development program, he was firing Major General David R. Heinz from management of the program and would withhold $614 million in bonuses from Lockheed Martin. On February 16, 2010 Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn announced that the program will be delayed one year. On 11 March 2010, the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services investigated the progress of the JSF program in a meeting with Pentagon officials, emphasizing cost due to the risk of a Nunn-McCurdy process. According to the Government Accountability Office, F-35A unit cost has risen from $50M in 2002 to $80M in 2010, measured in 2002 dollars. On March 26, the Pentagon officially notified Congress of the Joint Strike Fighter’s breach of the Nunn-McCurdy legal cost growth limits, requiring a top-to-bottom review of the program. -- August 16, 2010 In other news...