Australia has been assigned regional warehousing capability for the F-35 Lightning II in the Pacific by the US Department of Defense.
Meanwhile, the European warehousing capability has been assigned to the Netherlands.
The warehouse and distribution centres will enable the program to optimise and manage aviation inventory, the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) stated.
The first capabilities in Australia will be stood up by October 2020 to provide regional inventory management.
These assignments were made based on data compiled and analysed by the JPO that was collected from partner nations, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program customers and industry.
The Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG) issued a request for information in September 2016, saying the US government was seeking information on Australian companies capable of establishing and operating a regional warehouse.
“Our mission is to deliver and sustain an affordable, capable and combat-ready F-35 weapon system that provides the US and international warfighters with a dominant battlefield advantage,” said Vice Admiral Mat Winter, F-35 program executive officer.
“To do that successfully, the US services and our allies need to have the right parts delivered at the right time, and having a solid warehousing plan helps to make it happen.”
Initial warehousing and repair technology category assignments do not preclude the opportunity for other partners and FMS customers, including those assigned initial airframe and engine capabilities, to participate and be assigned additional sustainment workload in the future, the JPO said.
Future assignments will be made for additional components, support equipment, full mission simulators, the Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) and maintenance training devices.
Global warehousing data will be reviewed and updated as program needs dictate.
