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IDGA Recognizes New Defense Paradigm: Aviation Maintenance and Lifecycle Practices

Dépèche transmise le 24 septembre 2009 par Business Wire

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Due to the current push for government funds to go toward aircraft sustainment, IDGA will be running Aviation Lifecycle Management on October 19-21, 2009 at the Sheraton Premiere at Tysons Corner in Vienna, VA.

In an effort to allocate money appropriately and be held accountable for this spending, government funding on major vehicle platforms has seen major cuts in the past fiscal year.

The recent funding cuts for the F-22 Raptor, which costs $150 million to produce, is the most news-salient example of newly distributed defense budgeting. But the F-22 isn’t the only platform undergoing a downsizing process. In April of 2009, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates proposed prolonging the production cycle to a number of pentagon programs including the C-17 Globemaster III and the 2018 Bomber. Despite cuts in many departments and various services, the aviation platforms have been hit the hardest. According to Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute, "Gates' cuts had a much bigger impact on American air power than they did on sea power or land power." (Aerospace News).

What’s more? Many of our vehicles have aged since the 1980’s and have reached the expected maintenance period in their natural lifecycle. Defense Industry Daily, a leading defense procurement and acquisitions website, stated in July of 2009 that “many of these vehicles…are reaching an age in which ‘deep maintenance’ is a wise and necessary measure.” (http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/reset-of-the-us-armys-vehicle-fleet-continues-02493/) What does this mean for our national security if these mission critical platforms are outdated and in need of significant sustainment dollars?

The answer to this question is the new defense paradigm: maintenance, upkeep and overhaul. If the defense industry cannot increase its fleet size, it must refurbish its old vehicles to keep up with safety precautions and the latest emerging technology. To address these issues, IDGA has designed a conference that pinpoints how the DoD is shaping requirements for the sustainment of their necessary aviation platforms.

Aviation Lifecycle Management will discuss updates and concerns including developments in the Joint Strike Fighter Program, the evolving shift in the F-22, the future of UAVs, and other critical plans for today’s aviation marketplace. The program also includes an Internal System Sustainment Focus Day targeting flight data acquisition that will improve training, reduce operational costs, and extend airframe life. Speakers will include the US Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, the US Air Force, Aeronautical Systems Division, Lockheed Martin, Air Combat Electronics Program Office and many others.

To register or find out more, view the agenda or visit www.AviationLifeCycle.com

Program Sponsors Include: Clockwork Solutions, Government-Industry Data Exchange Program and Defense Logistics Agency.