Australian, UK F-35 Reprogramming Lab opens
The Australian and UK F-35 Reprogramming Laboratory has opened at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.
The Reprogramming Laboratory is a joint partnership between Australia and the UK. It will produce Mission Data Files (MDF) for Australian and UK F-35s, which compile information about the operating environment and assets in an area, before being loaded onto the aircraft pre-flight using a portable hard drive.
The laboratory will support Australian and UK F-35s by developing, verifying, validating and issuing F-35 MDFs for Australian and UK-fielded F-35s. Both countries are co-funding and supporting the capability under a 50/50 funding arrangement.
Australia’s Minister for Defence, Linda Reynolds, said this new capability will enable the F-35 to be a ‘smart’ aircraft.
‘Combined with the aircraft’s advance sensor suite, this provides the pilot with a clearer battlespace picture,’ Reynolds said. ‘Today’s opening is a key milestone in the delivery of this programme to the Australian Defence Force.’
Australia’s F-35A is expected to achieve Initial Operating Capability in December 2020, and Final Operating Capability in late 2023.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
![NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts]()
NATO’s Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability moves ahead with development contracts
The Next Generation Rotorcraft Capability (NGRC) programme is a transnational effort across NATO to replace a range of helicopters which are expected to begin retiring from the mid-2030s.
-
![Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker]()
Boeing to upgrade software for KC-46A tanker
The KC-46A upgrades will improve the platform’s mission readiness, performance in challenged airspace and rapid deployment capabilities.
-
![Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA]()
Teledyne FLIR promotes ITAR-free Star SAFIRE imaging payload at FIA
The Ultraforce 380-HDc, launched at Farnborough International Airshow, builds on Teledyne FLIR’s successful Star SAFIRE family of systems and is aimed at both the military and security markets.
-
![Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough]()
Dutch and Austrian governments collaborate on Embraer C-390 acquisition at Farnborough
The two nations will split the acquisition of the C-390s to boost their airlift capacities.
