Mathcad as a standard design package for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project

Citation

(2004), "Mathcad as a standard design package for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 76 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2004.12776aab.015

Mathcad as a standard design package for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project

Mathcad as a standard design package for F-35 Joint Strike Fighter project

Keywords: Aeronautics, Software, Aircraft, Information technology

Mathsoft Engineering & Education, Inc. report that the Structural Analysis Group at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company has selected Mathcad as a standard environment for performing, documenting and managing the structural calculations on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) programme – the largest military contract in history.

Using Mathcad's calculation management capabilities, the group can trace the inputs, assumptions, methods, calculations and results that drive the F-35 JSF structural design process and realise better efficiencies in design, quality and productivity for the development of this 21st century military aircraft.

Dr Glenn Morris, Section Head for Structural Analysis at Lockheed Martin, said: “The biggest issues for the F-35 design team are ensuring quality, shortening design cycles and reducing the weight of the aircraft. Mathcad will help us meet our needs by allowing us to perform and document critical calculations, as well as acting as a design repository where the underlying assumptions behind the calculations can live. With Mathcad, we will also be able to do more aggressive mathematical analysis, which helps us to speed up design cycles and make improvements to the weight of the aircraft”.

Chris Randles, CEO of Mathsoft Engineering & Education, Inc. said: “Mathsoft has identified calculation management as a crucial business process for engineering- intensive organisations, and now our industry leading customers such as Lockheed Martin are adopting Calculation Management as a strategic initiative. By managing the critical engineering calculations for the structural design of the F-35, Lockheed Martin will improve productivity, eliminate redundancies, reduce errors, minimise audit time and raise quality”.

The JSF program faces immense engineering and IT challenges.

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  Since the design strategy of the F-35 emphasises efficiency and low cost, Lockheed Martin set out to use common software for the design of the entire aircraft- from the mission systems and subsystems to the airframe. This is critical to achieve more efficient test and checkout procedures and reduced software maintenance.

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  Currently, decreasing the estimated weight of the structural elements of the aircraft is a top priority for the design team as it prepares for its next major milestone: Critical Design Review. Mathcad, with its ability to manage accurate data analysis, will help enable the Structural Analysis Group to meet this important goal.

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  At the same time, Mathcad's centralised repository capabilities will contribute greatly to the programme's objective of creating a seamless engineering and business environment linking the JSF Program Office, Lockheed Martin, and its US and international team members.

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  The F-35 structural design team is also integrating Mathcad with other essential tools such as finite element analysis and computer aided design software.

The F-35 is the US Military's fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The mission of the F-35 program is to provide the US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and the United Kingdom's Royal Navy and Royal Air Force with an affordable and stealthy tactical aircraft for the 21st century. It is estimated that the JSF programme will produce a total of 2,593 aircraft for the United States' and United Kingdom's armed forces. A hallmark of the JSF program is its commitment to world-class manufacturing and a state-of-the-art production line that emphasises advanced low-cost production, a virtual product team and integrated product ownership.

From the start, F-35 has been an international program. With eight international partners – the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway and Australia – the program boasts of unprecedented global participation. Additionally, Israel recently joined the program as a Security Cooperation Participant. Spearheaded by Lockheed Martin as the primary contractor, the JSF program involves subcontractors and suppliers from all over the world who contribute to keeping the aircraft affordable and unparalleled in quality.