Photo courtesy of Harris Corp.
Lockheed Martin has tapped Harris Corp. to upgrade mission system avionics for the F-35 Lightning II, Harris said. It already supports open systems mission processing technology for the Lockheed Martin F-35 and F-22, and the Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) F/A-18.
Harris is to provide the aircraft memory system (AMS) and panoramic cockpit display electronic unit (PCD EU). These are based on open architecture and commercial-off-the-shelf technology, Harris said. The AMS provides solid-state mass storage capability for the avionics subsystems, while the PCD EU provides processing for the panoramic head-down display.
“The new TR3 electronics pave the way for system upgrades well into the future,” said Ed Zoiss, president fo Harris Electronic Systems. “Open systems are the future of avionics and Harris is investing substantial R&D to develop these solutions. These awards affirm the military’s approach to open systems architecture and Harris’ commitment to delivering more affordable, higher performance solutions than would have been possible using proprietary technology.”
The deal has Harris beginning the technology development phase this month, with system qualification in early 2019. Then, a subsequent five-year production contract phase would begin.