EL SEGUNDO, Calif., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman Corp. has provided new software to check out the F-35 Lightning II STOVL variant.
Northrop Grumman said in a statement Monday it had "delivered to F-35 Lightning II prime contractor Lockheed Martin the initial release of software required to perform manufacturing checkout of the first F-35B short take-off vertical landing variant."
"The company has delivered updates for software modules used to perform three critical functions: functional test of key sensor subsystems such as radar, electronic warfare, and communication/navigation/IFF; download of maintenance information from the aircraft; and in-flight detection and pilot notification of safety-critical faults," the statement said.
"The delivery of this initial manufacturing release of software for the first F-35 STOVL aircraft continues Northrop Grumman's unbroken, two-year-long streak of on-time software deliveries to the F-35 Lighting II program," said Janis Pamiljans, F-35 program manager for Northrop Grumman's Integrated Systems sector. "We're doing everything we can to support the F-35 industry team's goal of flying the first STOVL variant in the spring of 2008."
Northrop Grumman said the software package sent to Lockheed Martin involved "prognostic and Health Monitoring software, which is used to check out the built-in-test features of the sensor hardware and verify that the hardware is operating properly" and "Maintenance Interface Broker software, which is used by maintenance personnel to download diagnostic information from the aircraft."
The package also included "Mission Domain software, which includes navigation related software; software models for aircraft performance; and the Mission Systems Integrity Monitor, safety-critical software that detects, filters and notifies the pilot of critical in-flight failures," Northrop Grumman said.
