"If it doesn't work, we'll be in trouble". This was stated a few minutes ago by the director of the Department of Defense for the operational evaluation of the systems, Michael Gilmore, during a hearing at the Armed Services Committee of the Senate with the object of the F-35.
"In nine years of development, the weapon system that has an average cost of 110 million dollars per specimen, continues to reveal problems of different nature: among these, it has never been tested in a real environment. ALIS - added Gilmore - it is not yet stable".
THEAutonomic Logistics Information System o 'ALIS' is the nerve center of the F-35 system. Intent, it should allow pilots as well as ground supportive force to take proactive actions to ensure the efficiency of the fighter in any operational theater. The version of 'ALIS' delivered to the Marines is the 2.0.1. This version implements all the improvements made to date in the framework of an incremental development approach. The missions are loaded on a hard disk. Once on the net, 'ALIS' monitors the hunt and suggests to the ground staff the necessary maintenance before and after the mission. Despite this, ALIS complains about "multiple critical issues and a complex architecture with probable and largely untested IT deficiencies".
Last August, the Autonomic Logistics Information System detected 80% of false positives. ALIS was designed exclusively in primary form, without any kind of backup. Note that theAutonomic Logistics Information System "Runs" on the computers on the ground and not on the aircraft. It is also true, however, that the logistics software manages the entire supply chain of the fighter, as well as the configuration, error diagnostics, mission planning and debriefing.
Both the GAO and Gilmore continue to reiterate that the current version of ALIS does not behave adequately in normal situations and with complete logistic support. The Department of Defense specifies that ALIS will constantly receive "service packs" or individual patches to make corrections. THE service pack they are developed, tested and distributed over a much faster timeline than the main software. The first service pack it came out in January. The second should be ready by summer. To date, there is no system for ALIS backup.
The development of the F-35 is a scandalCommissioner Senator John McCain thundered. "The F-35 is a long-term investment - replied General Christopher Bogdan, program manager of the F-35 - between 30 years we could have a unique platform that will guarantee our leadership in the world. The F-35 is still under development".
(photo: Lockheed Martin)
