Harris touts reduced costs for F-35 components

Harris Corporation says it has reduced by 64 percent the cost of its avionics ship sets for F-35 fighters and boasts a 99.8 percent production accuracy rate.

"By investing our own resources and continuing to search for innovative solutions, Harris is driving results that deliver value to the customer and warfighter," Ed Zoiss, president of Harris Electronic Systems, said in a press release. "We value our long-standing partnership with the F-35 program team providing engineering and supply-chain excellence."

According to Harris, it produces for each F-35more than 1,500 module components, 58 network interface units, 21 power supplies, seven integrated racks, six advanced antenna arrays, and three antenna interface units.

Working with industry partners, it has so far supplied more than 780,000 items with 99.8 percent on time accuracy. Included are vibration isolated and liquid cooled avionics racks and power supplies for all the aircraft mission systems; network interface units that enable fiber optic data communication between mission subsystems throughout the aircraft; phased array antennas and datalinks that ensure encrypted and secure communication between aircraft; and lightweight pneumatic carriage and release racks that support the aircraft's stealth profile.

Modular components and common parts supplied by Harris to 21 other F-35 suppliers have resulted in more than $750 million in cost savings over the life of the F-35 production program, it said.

"Harris has a strong tradition of on-time and accurate delivery of avionics components and modules for the F-35," said Jeff Babione, executive vice president and general manager of the F-35 Program at Lockheed Martin. "Our collaborative efforts will continue to deliver strong capabilities, on budget and on time, to ensure our warfighters continue to maintain global air superiority."