Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Martinez | 220708-N-EI127-3150 PACIFIC OCEAN (July 8, 2022) – An F-35 Lighting II, assigned...... read more read more
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ARLINGTON, Va., October 14, 2022 – The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has achieved another step in its evolution of the F-35 logistics information system, with the U.S. Marine Corps’ use of next-generation computer servers on board Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD-8).
To support recent deployed operation of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 122’s (VMFA-122) F-35B aircraft aboard the USS Makin Island, Marines from Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Yuma used Operational Data Integrated Network (ODIN) Base Kit (OBK) hardware to manage shipboard aircraft maintenance operations, gaining the advantage of improved computing power available in a smaller set of equipment, more suitable for expeditionary use.
Crew members with VMFA-122 touted the advances in the new system.
“It needed only about one hour to get this equipment off a cargo van, to being up and running. Two people carried the entire kit up and down stairs – one person for [the] computing node, one for [the] Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS). The setup was only about 15 mins of work, and it (OBK-U) was ready to go” according to Marine Cpl. Dakota Achey of VMFA-122.
“It is more efficient compared to the [legacy] kit; the users now have a faster system to utilize,” said Marine Staff Sgt. Jonathan Garren, who added that the connections through the ship’s network to enterprise servers is the same as for the legacy hardware, it required no special changes, and that the two pieces of hardware in the OBK have significantly less interconnects than the legacy servers.
Although the transition to the new system across the global fleet will be a complicated process, the advantages look to be significant.
“The transition of the F-35 logistics information system is a large and complex undertaking – and we are making steady and meaningful progress, utilizing the strengths of the government and Lockheed Martin engineers” said F-35 Maintenance Systems Program Manager, Air Force Col. Dan Smith.
“Employing the OBK on the USS Makin Island was significant in being the first shipboard use of the equipment for shipboard operations,” Smith continued, “but it was also significant as a clear demonstration of the benefits this design brings to the maintainers.”
Prior system improvements have been made to support equipment and devices used in F-35 fleet maintenance, such as upgrading or replacing aging Portable Maintenance Aids (PMA) – ruggedized laptop computers, specially configured for aircraft maintainers – and deploying wireless barcode scanners to fleet supply warehouses to ease administrative workload and eliminate data entry errors. The information system software has also seen high-value improvements, improving processing capacity and reducing maintainer workload, as the first steps toward its replacement with modern and supportable suite of maintenance applications in 2024 and beyond.
“I am encouraged by the great work done by our Marine teammates on the USS Makin Island,” said Air Force Lt. Gen. Mike Schmidt, program executive officer for the F-35 Joint Program Office. “The migration to ODIN will improve the user experience across all echelons, contribute to the affordability of the F-35 program, and bring more capability to the warfighters at the tactical edge.”
The unclassified OBK hardware – developed using rapid prototyping practices – has proven its capability and value in increasingly demanding environments. This has increased confidence in the forthcoming classified hardware elements, which are nearing completion of design. JPO and Lockheed Martin are preparing to field the new classified and unclassified hardware over the next several years, replacing the legacy servers at over 110 sites across the globe.
| Date Taken: | 10.14.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 10.14.2022 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 431371 |
| Location: | ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 486 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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