As original equipment manufacturer (OEM) for a large fleet of aircraft around the world, Lockheed Martin said it reduces ownership costs for its customers by combining its design and production expertise with low-cost sustainment services. “Noone– other than the customer–knows our aircraft better than we do,” said Marillyn Hewson, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Global Sustainment.

Military customers are increasingly focusing on the cost of ownership and assured readiness levels and shifting integrated system management and service provider accountability, explained Hewson. “What our customers need is increased aircraft performance and availability and decreased cost for the life of these aircraft,” she said. “They want to spend their limited funds on new equipment with increased capability, and they want a lower cost to maintain these new aircraft over their life.”

Such requirements are driving new ways of approaching sustainment services. For instance, for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter the company has launched its Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment service–a centrally managed system that monitors the worldwide F-35 fleet. Each aircraft has a “smart” inbuilt diagnostic/ prognostic system that automatically relays data to the Autonomic Logistics Information System.

ALIS began operations in April, capturing real-time in-flight data from the
F-35A prototype during test flights from Fort Worth, Texas.