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2013-10-30 The Indian Air Force is an important player in an important part of the world.
We have learned from our partner India Strategic that a new head of the Indian Air Force has been appointed.
His background is quite interesting, and he has been the operational commander of the IAF’s spearhead force, Western Air Command (WAC).
The WAC is the largest and most important Air Command of the IAF, comprising sixteen Air Force Bases (AFBs), and is responsible for aerial defense of North India.
WAC’s Area of Responsibility extends from Kashmir to Rajasthan, covering the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi and some parts of Uttar Pradesh.
Air Marshal Raha will succeed Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne when he retires on December 31, 2013 after a distinguished 41-year career during which he passionately worked for the modernisation of the Indian Air Force.
The new Air Chief has had the distinction of being the Commander-in-Chief of IAF’s spearhead force, the Western Air Command (WAC), as also the Central Air Command (CAC). As is customary, he was brought to the Air Headquarters on June 30 this year as Vice Chief of the Air Staff (VCAS) in preparation for his new assignment. This brief preparatory tenure helps a new Chief get familiarised with IAF’s current and future plans as also IAF’s role in India’s strategic perspective.
Air Marshal Raha. Credit: India Strategic
The appointment was cleared by the Government some time back and formally announced on October 29.
Air Marshal Raha had joined the IAF on December 14, 1974 as a combat pilot, flying Mig 21 and Mig 29 aircraft in the Fighter Stream of the Flying Branch.
During a career spanning over nearly 39 years, Air Marshal Raha has held various command, staff and instructional appointments. He served as Air Attache at the Embassy of India, Ukraine.
Besides various technical courses, he has done National Defence College (NDC), Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Strategic Nuclear Orientation Course and Junior Commanders’ Course (JCC). He is a recipient of PVSM, AVSM and VM Presidential awards. He is also an Honorary ADC to the President of India, the Supreme Commander of the Indian armed forces.
The new assignment is perhaps the best new year gift the distinguished officer will get. As Air Chief from Dec 31, the New Year’s eve, Air Chief Marshal Raha will be the 24th Chief of Air Staff of the Indian Air Force. He will be piloting IAF in the most crucial phase of its transformation and ensure that its various programmes are achieved and secured on time.
During a visit with Ed Timperlake at Yuma USMC Air Station and then at the Lockheed Martin Fort Worth F-35 facility, Ed and I had a chance to discuss the Cameri F-35 effort with two young Lockheed Martin Aero officials involved in that effort.
We sat down with Brian White and Kris Yowell in late 2012 to discuss the FACO and its significance.
Brian White is a relative newcomer to the program but with significant background in international business with Lockheed Martin. He has been the Lockheed official responsible for the execution of the contract for the FACO from the Lockheed side.
Yowell has been with Lockheed since 1986 and the JSF program since the start of SDD production. He has worked within production and global supply chain within the program and has worked with the Italians for the past five years living in Italy for 3.
The two have brought significant international and production experience to the working relationship with the Italians.
While I was visiting Cameri in October 2013, the two had just come back to the facility, and I had a chance to sit down with them again to get an update on the past six months from their perspectives.
In the discussion, which followed with White and Yowell, several key themes were emphasized.
Italian workers involved with the F-35 at Cameri. Credit: Italian MOD.
First, June 18, 2013 was an important date in Cameri history. This was the day that the first F-35 to be built at Cameri began its assembly process.
Second, the year ahead will be challenging as the ramp of production continues, the wing assembly process accelerates and as the first planes prepare to be flown and put through the acceptance process.
Third, there has been significant cross-learning within the program between Fort Worth and Cameri, and with the addition of the Japanese this process will continue.
An example was cited of how the Italians have improved on the automated drilling process for wing Outer Wing Boxes, being able to simplify the process by dry drilling which demonstrates new possibilities to Fort Worth as well.
Fourth, the Japanese have visited the plant to learn how a Cameri-sized facility might be built in Japan, for such a facility is clearly closer in scale to what Japan itself will do.
The complexity of the multi-year process of setting up the plant was highlighted as well for both the American and the Italians. The process had to be shaped for export, the machine tooling products put into place, the production processes installed and the teaching of the processes commenced and honed.
The learning at Cameri with regard to wing production is important as well in two ways. First, the Cameri process is producing high quality wings for the entire F-35 program and second, the stand up of this facility will help in learning how to set up the wing facility in Israel as well.
In effect, the Cameri plant demonstrates to important developments with regard to the F-35 program.
First, the production processes have matured to the level whereby they can be transferred.
Second, that the production processes can indeed by transferred and a new line established in a completely different geographical and cultural area.
The Italians also have the advantage of closer geographic proximity for their supply chain so that the Cameri plant can shape a supply chain to support the plant in close proximity to the plant as well.
Technology transfer is not simply about technology; it is about business processes and models as well. And this is not a one way but a two way street, as a global manufacturing system is set up within the F-35 program. It is not just about a global supply chain; it is about global system providers and global manufacturing, meaning manufactured outside and inside the United States.
The full benefits of such a process are only beginning.
As the ramp up of production occurs, and the cross-learning is allowed to reshape production processes more effectively, not only economies of scale but economies driven by process innovation will occur.
This is clearly the benefit of having a global program built around a plane with more than 80% commonality built into its three variants.
2013-10-29 In a July 23, 2013, press release from Northrop Grumman, the delivery of the first NG fuselage to Italy was highlighted.
Northrop Grumman Corporation delivered the center fuselage for Italy’s first F-35 Lightning II to the newly commissioned Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Italy’s Cameri Air Base July 12….
The center fuselage, AL-1, will be integrated into a conventional takeoff and landing variant of the F-35, and represents the first of 90 center fuselage sections that will be delivered to the Italian FACO facility for Italian aircraft.
On July 10, 2013, Northrop Grumman loaded the center fuselage for Italy’s first F-35 Lightning II onto a C-5 aircraft, destined for the newly commissioned Final Assembly and Check Out (FACO) facility at Italy’s Cameri Air Base. Credit: NG
“We started working on AL-1 in September 2012, when it was inducted into our Integrated Assembly Line [IAL] at our Palmdale facility,” said Michelle Scarpella, vice president of the F-35 program for Northrop Grumman.
“It’s the 115th center fuselage we’ve completed here in Palmdale, and marks another program milestone, as we continue to stand up and grow international F-35 participation.”
The IAL maximizes robotics and automation, providing additional assembly capability while meeting engineering tolerances that are not easily achieved using manual methods.
The IAL is central in producing the F-35’s center fuselage as well as increasing the program’s affordability, quality and efficiency. Currently, there are 35 center fuselages in flow on the IAL, including some for Australia and additional ones for Italy; deliveries have already been made to Ft Worth for final assembly and delivery to the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
Set on 101 acres in Italy’s Piedmont region, the FACO facility at Cameri will be one of a kind in Europe.
With 22 buildings, more than a million square feet of covered work space, 11 final assembly workstations – including four outfitted for electronic mate and assembly – and five maintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade bays, the FACO at Cameri is positioned to serve as a new hub for the Italian aerospace industry.
2013-10-29 In a Northrop Grumman news release, the role of a key plant in producing the center fuselage’s for the F-35 is discussed.
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s F-35 Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) was named “Assembly Plant of the Year” by Assembly Magazine in recognition for the facility’s world-class processes to reduce costs, increase productivity and improve quality. Northrop Grumman is the first aerospace company to receive this award.
Northrop Grumman’s F-35 Integrated Assembly Line was named “Assembly Plant of the Year” by Assembly Magazine in recognition for the facility’s world-class processes to reduce costs, increase productivity and improve quality. Northrop Grumman is the first aerospace company to receive this award. Credit: NG
Inspired by automation systems used by automakers, the IAL was designed and developed by Northrop Grumman, working with Detroit-based KUKA Systems Corporation’s Aerospace Division, a commercial automation integrator.
The IAL is central to producing the F-35’s center fuselage as well as driving new levels of efficiency into the manufacturing process, reducing process times, increasing precision and quality, and reducing production costs.
“Northrop Grumman has been a leader in designing, developing, and applying automated systems to the complex task of assembling modern fighter aircraft,” said Brian Chappel, vice president of the F-35 program for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.
“The IAL is one example, where Northrop Grumman maximizes robotics and automation, providing additional capacity and assembly capability while meeting engineering tolerances that are not easily achieved using manual methods.”
10/27/2013: On a visit to interview the Chief of Staff of Italian Air Force, Lt. General Pasquale Preziosa, the General provided a tour of the Air Ministry.
The building was built at the beginning of the 1930s and was a project of pride for the new Italian government of Mussolini.
In spite of any political connotation, the building is a magnificent example of 1930s architecture.
And throughout the building are interesting visual objects highlighting the history of Italy and the coming of airpower.
Early innovations such as the long distance flights to South America and to the United States in 1931 and 1933 are remembered in drawings on the walls.
There is also a wonderful wall painting of the ancient world of Rome where Italy was the center of the then known world.
Ironically, if one put Cameri in the upper left of Italy, the F-35 facility could provide support to an F-35 fleet operating over the area represented in the drawings.
We requested some photos of the wall and these can be seen in the slideshow below.
10/25/2013: Located on an Italian Air Force base used for logistics, the Italian government under the management of Alenia Aermacchi (AAeM) has built a 22 building facility to support the F-35 program.
The support comes in three parts.
First, there is a Final Check Out and Assembly facility, for assembling Italy’s As and Bs, as well as other European F-35 partners, initially the Netherlands.
Second, there is a wing construction facility with Italy building a minimum of 835 full wings for the F-35 global program.
Third, with the 22 buildings of more than a million square feet of covered work space comes significant space to build out support for F-35s operated by the US and allies in Europe.
With the Mediterranean and the Middle East as a busy operational area, the Cameri facility can provide significant operational support to the F-35 fleet operating in the area.
These photos show workers at the FACO working on the first jet.
The workforce is a mix of older and younger workers, and provides a significant boost to the future of Italian aerospace and defense.
[slidepress gallery=’cameri-and-the-f-35′]
Credit Photos: Alenia Aermacchi (AAeM)
According to Finmeccanica CEO Alessandro Pansa, in a recent comment during an audit at the Chamber of Deputies Defense Commission:
With the participation in the F-35 program “the Italian industrial system brings home potential returns for $ 10 billion” and occupational returns will exceed 5,000 units.”
The development of these potentialities “depends on our capability to use the infrastructure which have been created to build components and to provide maintenance related to avionics and electronics both for the European aircraft and the US aircraft based in Europe.
There’s no other European plant with the same requisites as our plant in Cameri”
Pansa underscored that 90 Italian companies are involved in the program and so far contracts have been subscribed for $765 million.
2013-10-19 The Integrated Test Force operates F-35B test aircraft aboard the USS Wasp at twilight in August 2013. The tests were a part of Developmental Test Phase Two for the F-35B STOVL variant.
According to Lt. Col. Gillette, currently the X0 of the Squadron and in transition with the jet to Yuma as the CO of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121, the initial operating capability of his squadron is set for 2015.
The Commandant has set the target as a six-month window from mid 2015 to the end of 2015.
There are certain requirements that need to be met in order to successfully declare that milestone in the F-35 program.
Specifically, it will require a certain number of jets, a certain number of air group training, maintenance to support that. In addition, that the air vehicle still needs to make some more progress in terms of its developmental tests, specifically, you have aerodynamic limitations that will be lifted, you have software limitations that will be lifted that will support core competency missions.
And then lastly, weapon certification. So those three things, air vehicle, the weapon certification, and then the people piece of being trained all have to come together. Those are all projected to merge, if you will, and come to fruition mid to the end of 15.
2013-10-18 Magellan Aerospace announced today (October 16, 2013), that the first complete ship set of F-35A Lightning II horizontal tail assemblies produced at its Winnipeg manufacturing division was successfully installed onto the aircraft at Lockheed Martin’s final assembly line in Fort Worth, Texas.
This successful installation of Magellan’s horizontal tail assemblies is a key program milestone for the Corporation and demonstrates the many contributions being made by Canadian aerospace companies in the early stages of the F-35 program.
Magellan is under contract with BAE Systems, a principal member of the Lockheed Martin-led F-35 industry team, to produce horizontal tail assemblies for the Conventional Take Off and Landing (CTOL) variant of F-35. Magellan is expected to produce more than 1,000 sets of the components for the program over, approximately, a 20-year period. “The reports we have received from Lockheed and BAES indicate that the product we delivered to the assembly line was installed without complication,” said Mr. James Butyniec, President and Chief Executive Officer of Magellan Aerospace.
“We are pleased to see another of our F-35 assemblies preparing to take flight for the first time.” In addition to the horizontal tail, Magellan has produced the vane box assemblies and transition ducts for all of the F-35B Short Take Off and Landing variants flying today.
Magellan’s proactive investment in facilities, equipment, and processes in support of the F-35 Lightning II program has positioned Magellan to realize sales approaching $2.0B Cdn over the life of the F-35 program. Magellan’s revenues to date on the F-35 program exceed $100M Cdn.
Since the inception of Canada’s participation in the F-35 program in 1997, Canadian companies like Magellan Aerospace have been invited to compete for significant opportunities in support of this international program. This program milestone validates that companies such as Magellan can be successful and competitive in todays globalized aerospace supply chain.
About Magellan Aerospace
Magellan Aerospace is a global, integrated aerospace company that provides complex assemblies and systems solutions to aircraft and engine manufacturers, and defence and space agencies worldwide. Magellan designs, engineers, and manufactures aeroengine and aerostructure assemblies and components for aerospace markets, advanced products for military and space markets, industrial power generation, and specialty products. Magellan is a public company whose shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: MAL), with operating units throughout Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and Poland.
