Lockheed Martin said the system that will serve as the backbone of the F-35 Lightning II maintenance and support network is up and running, even though the first squadron of the multi-billion jet won’t go operational until 2012. The Bethesda, Md.-based company said the F-35 Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS) was formally switched on this week during a ceremony at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. The ALIS system, developed in conjunction with Lockheed Martin Simulation, Training & Support, will start by capturing real-time flight test data from Lightning II test aircraft. The first F-35 is undergoing airborne testing and has completed 17 flights to date. Eleven additional Lightning II test aircraft currently are in production. "Each F-35 will constantly monitor its own systems and automatically relay information to ALIS. In turn, ALIS will provide an information infrastructure that captures, analyzes, identifies and communicates F-35 characteristics and data, providing information and decision support for every Lightning II user worldwide, on land or at sea," said Kimberly Gavaletz, Lockheed Martin vice president for F-35 Autonomic Logistics and Global Sustainment. For related news