House Panel Restores GE-Rolls Royce F136 Alternate Engine Program

Last Friday, the US House of Representatives Armed Services Committee once again restored funding for the F-35 Lightning II's alternative engine, the F136 which is being developed by General Electric and Rolls-Royce.

Chairman Abercrombie's opening statement follows:

"The subcommittee will come to order. This morning the Air and Land Forces Subcommittee meets to markup H.R. 2647, the National Defense Authorization Bill for Fiscal Year 2010. I would like to thank the ranking member, Roscoe Bartlett, for his and his staff's support in putting this mark together.  

“The proposed mark gives first priority to readiness -- providing equipment needed to support our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, provide response capability to meet natural disasters or crisis response here at home, and address the most urgent needs of the services.

“Our proposed legislation for HR 2647 would:

· Require the Department of Defense to budget for the F-35 competitive engine, beginning in fiscal year 2011.

· Limit the obligation of funds for development of the F-35 aircraft to 75 percent until:  

o the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics certifies that all funds for development and procurement of the F-35 competitive propulsion system have been obligated, and

o the 30-year aircraft build plan, required by the Fiscal Year 2009 National Defense Authorization Act has been submitted.

“If everything proceeds as planned for the Joint Strike Fighter program, the F-35 will compose the vast majority of the fighter force for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force twenty years from now.

“Beginning in 1996, Congress directed that the competitive engine be part of the JSF program. The Pentagon funded the program until cost pressures in other parts of the JSF program resulted in the Pentagon no longer budgeting for the competitive engine. Congress funded the competitive engine program in fiscal years 2007, 8 and 9.

“The current engine for the JSF, the F135, has had testing issues and has yet to even be tested in the most stressing flight regime – the vertical landing mode. Those tests have been delayed for up to two years and will now take place in September. While not as severe, the competing engine, the F136, has had a minor setback in testing.

“This issue is not about contractor ’A‘ or contractor ’B.’ The issue is that we do not believe that it is prudent for up to 80 to 90 percent of the fighter fleet to be dependent on a single engine type, provided by one manufacturer.  

“Being tied to one engine is too high an operational risk to take. This is what happened to the F-15 and 16 fleets in the ‘70s when those aircraft were dependent on one engine type. This also happened to the AV-8 ’Harrier‘ fleet when it was grounded for 11 months due to engine problems. In the cases of the F-15, F-16, and AV-8, none represented a large fraction of the existing fighter force.  

“With all services depending on one aircraft and one engine type for the vast majority of its capability, the potential is for the entire F-35 fleet to be grounded, if there is similar problem, as has been experienced in the past.

“Therefore the mark includes an increase of $603 million for the competitive engine, reduces the JSF procurement request by one Marine Corps and one Air Force aircraft and the overall U.S. fiscal year 2010 procurement from 30 to 28 aircraft.  

“Overall, 28 aircraft is still twice the number of aircraft approved last year. Also, the year-over-year production rate for the program is maintained at DOD’s desired rate of 1.75.

“For the Future Combat Systems program, the mark:

· Limits the DOD to procurement of one brigade set of FCS Spin Out Early Infantry Brigade Combat Team equipment under low rate initial production authority, in accordance with existing law and

· Limits fiscal year 2010 obligations for research and development to 75 percent, pending submission of the FCS Milestone Review Report required by the fiscal year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act.

“This subcommittee has expressed serious concerns with the cost, schedule, and performance of the Future Combat Systems program since its inception in 2003.  

“As far back as the 2004 Defense Authorization bill, the committee report said ’the Army is embarking on a System Development and Demonstration program of major technical complexity, which to date is largely undefined with regard to architecture, requirements, schedule and cost.’  

“Then, in the 2008 Defense Authorization bill, the committee report said: ’Given the Army's many other RDT&E, procurement, and force structure efforts, including continued reset costs to support overseas deployments, upgrades to current combat systems, fully equipping the Army National Guard, completion of the Army's modular force initiative, and the growth in the size of the Army over the next five years, the committee does not believe that the FCS program is on a sustainable or realistic path.’  

“This year, those very same problems finally caught up with the program, and, on April 6, led Secretary Gates to terminate the Manned Ground Vehicle portion of the program, and direct the splitting up of what remains into separate, new programs.  

“However, the fiscal year 2010 budget request contained few details about this new plan, or even how the Army would effect the numerous contract changes required to implement a plan.  

“Still, to show support for what remains of the FCS program moving forward, the Chairman’s mark provides full funding, at $2.45 billion, for those parts of the FCS program that will live on in some form: the communications network and spin out equipment sets.

“The mark does reallocate, to higher priorities, $427 million requested for contract termination costs for the now-canceled manned ground vehicle part of the program. This reallocation is based on the fact that the FCS program has, as of June 2, 2009, $831 million remaining unspent in manned ground vehicle funding left over from 2008 and 2009. This amount unspent exceeds the program’s current estimates for program termination costs. As a result, no additional funding is needed in FY 2010.

“Regarding strategic airlift aircraft, the Chairman’s mark increases the required number aircraft to be maintained in service from 299 to 316 C-17 and C-5 aircraft.

“Bill provisions are included in the Chairman’s mark related to body armor requiring the Secretary of Defense, beginning with the fiscal year 2011 budget request, to establish research and development program elements and procurement budget line items for the development and acquisition of body armor and personnel protection enhancements.  

“In addition to the bill provisions, the mark includes detailed report language that recommends the Joint Requirements Oversight Council review the military services body armor requirement process, encourages a definitive joint requirement, and recommends developing standardized test procedures and protocols for the military services.  

“Finally the language encourages the Secretary of Defense to consider establishing a DOD-wide Task Force on par with the MRAP Vehicle Task Force to promote weight reduction initiatives for body armor.

“National Guard and Reserve equipment funding is increased by $600 million, in the subcommittee’s continuing attempt to fund reserve component required capabilities. $845 million is included for Army and Air Force unfunded requirements.  

“Secretary Gates has deferred the Next Generation Bomber program. However, an additional $140 million is provided to leverage critical technologies that were associated with the Next Generation Bomber that also apply to other classified and unclassified programs.

“The Joint Cargo Aircraft, C-27, is funded at the Air Force budget request for 8 aircraft. The directive report language on the C-27 program will be addressed in the full committee markup.

“Our mark reflects an objective of balancing the health and capability of the current force with the needs of future capabilities. I believe that this mark supports the priorities of the Committee. 

“The chair will now recognize Mr. Bartlett, of Maryland, the ranking member on the subcommittee for any opening remarks he would like to make.”

• F136 |
• Iraq |
• JointCargoAircraft |
• WarOnTerror |
• contract |
• milestone |
• propulsion |
• upgrade

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