The F-35 Stealth Fighter Is Crammed With Electronics. It’s Up to GE Aerospace to Keep Them Working
The F-35 Lightning II, manufactured by Lockheed Martin, can reach supersonic speeds and may be the world’s stealthiest fighter plane. For pilots, its advanced electronic systems are what really set it apart. Designed to replace most of the United States’ aging fighter fleet, the F-35 comes equipped with a constellation of sensors and avionics that assemble a remarkably detailed picture of conditions in and around the aircraft. GE Aerospace supplies eight of those systems, including electrical power management, aircraft memory, remote interface units for the fuselage and missiles, and engine-monitoring technology. This spring, GE Aerospace signed a four-year performance-based logistics (PBL) contract with Lockheed Martin to maintain and repair this equipment on F-35 aircraft around the world.