News
May 3, 2023
US Pentagon redesign aircraft due to a lack of components
The US is struggling to obtain particular components for aircraft, which has led the Pentagon to contract OEMs to redesign their assets.
By John Hill
GlobalData defence analyst Harshavardhan Dabbiru states: “This refers to situations where certain parts or components used are no longer produced by their original manufacturers or are becoming harder to obtain.”
The sourcing issue relates to components needed for various aircraft, from the F-35 Lightning II and the P-8A Poseidon, to various uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs). This problem is concerning because it may endanger the life-cycle support and viability of the DoD’s aviation equipment and resources.
The recent contracts seek to find ways of delivering aerial systems despite lacking the appropriate components. The contracts show how the DoD is contracting the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to conduct non-recurring engineering services, in the case of the F-35 and P-8A contracts. But some contracts even go so far as to show how OEMs are totally redesigning aircraft, in the case of the MQ-4C Triton and the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAVs.
https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/us-pentagon-redesign-aircraft-due-to-a-lack-of-components/
