BAE Systems’ next-generation Vehicle Management Computer (VMC) has been successfully flight tested on the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter, the company announced on 6 September 2023.
The testing, which took place at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland and Edwards Air Force Base in California, demonstrated a technology upgrade for all three variants of the F-35 that will increase computer performance and addresses obsolescence issues.
BAE Systems’ VMC enables advanced control modes and improves mission efficiency and safety. Its distributed architecture allows the aircraft to operate reliably with enhanced mission effectiveness in demanding environments. The upgraded VMC will not only help to mitigate obsolescence but will also improve safety, maintainability, and availability of the aircraft for the US military and its allies.
“The VMC provides the high-integrity processing required to implement the advanced control algorithms that enable this platform’s critical missions,” Corin Beck, director of Military Aircraft Systems for Controls and Avionics Solutions at BAE Systems, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “This upgrade leveraged BAE Systems’ technology roadmap to ensure the F-35 will advance its mission management and flight control capabilities today and into the future.”
The VMC technology upgrade incorporates a quad-core advanced processor to deliver a higher level of computing power to the F-35, facilitating additional aircraft capabilities while reducing pilot workload. It also adds advanced mission capabilities to the VMC, such as the Joint Precision Approach and Landing System (JPALS) and Auto Ground Collision Avoidance System (AGCAS).
As a major global partner to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 programme, BAE Systems provides the VMC, electronic warfare system, active inceptor control system, and aft fuselage for each F-35 at manufacturing facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The company also delivers sustainability, technical support, and training services to keep F-35s mission ready.
BAE’s work on the VMC takes place at the company’s engineering and manufacturing facility in Endicott, New York.
Peter Felstead
