BILLION DOLLARS BOONDOGGLE

GAO: F-35 central logistics system 'does not work properly,' needs redesign

By Ed Adamczyk


An F-35 fighter plane of the U.S. Air Force departs Edelson AFB, Alaska. Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin

March 16 (UPI) -- The central logistics system of the F-35 fighter plane needs a complete redesign, the General Accounting Office said on Monday after an investigation.

In a report made public on Monday, GAO advised the Defense Department to develop a performance measurement process of the plane's Autonomic Logistics Information System.

"After years of development and testing, the system does not work properly -- with inaccurate or missing data sometimes leading ALIS to ground flight-ready aircraft, among other problems," GAO said in a summary of the report.

Lockheed Martin, the plane's manufacturer, refers to ALIS as "the fleet management backbone for the F-35. Pilots plan and debrief missions, and sustainment professionals maintain the F-35 using ALIS. Delivering an integrated interface to maintenance, supply chain and sustainment information, ALIS is the single management tool supporting all F-35 operations."

The recommendations came in a 58-page GAO report, published March 6 and made available to the public today. It noted that key risks associated with the system have been reported in the past five years, including inaccurate data within the system and ineffective personnel training.

The report calls for a Defense Department review of efforts to improve the system, noting that its investigation included interviews with Defense Department and contractor officials, and visits to five F-35 air bases.

Regarded as the best fighter plane in the world, the three variants of F-35 are in use, or on order, by 14 nations.

With U.S. sustainment costs estimated at about $1.2 trillion over an expected 66-year life cycle, the GAO called it the "most ambitious and costly weapon system in history."

The program has also had numerous development delays, parts shortages and replacement part failures, to the point that the U.S. Congress has been reluctant to approve multi-year contracts to suppliers.