FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1990
1990 - 2771.PDF
1991 but likely to be delayed, is led by Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company (LASC) al though it was Rich's Lockheed Advanced Development Com pany (LADC—the Skunk Works) that designed and built the two prototypes. "When we win, ATF will be built by LASC in Georgia," says Rich. Under a plan to "downsize" Lockheed's aircraft business, LASC will be based at Marietta, Georgia, and LADC at Palmdale, California. Aeronautical Sys tems Group's Burbank, Califor nia, site will be closed down and the land cleaned up and sold, netting Lockheed up to $250 million. The slimming down of Aero nautical Systems Group and the creation of two "boutique" air craft companies will limit the impact of further defence cuts, says Lockheed chairman Tellep. Aircraft now account for just 22% of company sales, with missiles and space accounting for over 50% and services such as commercial aircraft mainte nance and airport development for around 16%. Following heavy losses on the C-17 and P-7 Lockheed, in common with Northrop, has refused to bid for fixed-price development contracts. The De partment of Defense has stopped issuing such contracts, however, and ATF full-scale de velopment will be performed under a "cost-plus award fee" contract, says Tellep. The Lockheed chairman an ticipates no further major set backs, having written off all losses in 1989 — including $300 million on the cancelled P-7 programme, a large part of which could be recovered if Lockheed succeeds in having the Navy's termination for de fault changed to a termination for convenience. If Lockheed wins, the F-22 would become the major pro gramme at LASC which will continue to produce the C-130 into the next century, Tellep believes, and which will pre serve the P-3 tooling in case a new requirement emerges for the patrol aircraft. The Lockheed chairman is confident that ATF will con tinue but accepts that the pace of the fighter programme is open to debate. Selection of the winning team is scheduled for May 1991 with full-scale development to start in Fiscal Year 1992—in October 1991 at the earliest but likely to be later. Rich is also bullish about the programme: "ATF will enter service in 2-002, 30 years after the F-15 first flew," he points out, arguing that the US Air Force's present air-superiority fighter will be well overdue for replacement by that time. Rich believes that the Skunk Works experience in building aircraft slowly but efficiently could prove vital in a scaled- down, stretched-out ATF pro gramme. Eight F-117As a year were built, yet the 59 aircraft were delivered on time and under budget, he notes. The Skunk Works chief is concerned that budget cutting will lead -to technology being developed then left on the shelf. "You must keep pushing tech nology or its become obsolete on the shelf ...you've got to use it to learn how to use it." He cites the Lockheed F-117A stealth fighter as an example. The aircraft was developed to prove that emerging stealth technology could be used opera- -tionally and Rich says results from operational use of the F- 117 have been critical to devel opment of the B-2 stealth bomber as well as to Lockheed's own ATF. Design for stealth is reflected in the YF-22's diamond-section nose As an example, Rich reveals that problems with the F-117's butterfly tail led Lockheed to develop the first carbonfibre- reinforced thermoplastic pri mary structure to be flight- tested, put in production and be operationally deployed. Having successfully combined stealth with manoeuvrability, Rich sees his next target as being to reduce costs—possibly by using throwaway parts in aircraft built for war use only, so cutting out the costly logistic support chain. Other likely areas for future interest for the Skunk Works include advanced propulsion systems and short take-off/vertical landing (STOVL) aircraft, he says. If an enemy cannot counter ATF in the air, Rich argues, then it will go for the aircraft's -vulnerable land bases: "A super sonic, stealthy ASTOVL aircraft would have somewhere to come home to," he says. That is in the future, how ever. Today's Lockheed concern is in winning a programme that will secure the future of its restructured, scaled-down mili tary aircraft business. D Design for manoeuvrability is evident in the YF-22's large wing and tail surfaces, leading-edge strakes and devices FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 12-18 SEPTEMBER, 1990 47
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
