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| FY98 Annual Report | |||
JOINT PRIMARY AIRCRAFT TRAINING SYSTEM (JPATS)
| Joint Air Force/Navy ACAT IC Program: | Prime Contractor | |
| Total Number of Systems: | 740 | Raytheon Aircraft Company |
| Total Program Cost (TY$): | $3948M | |
| Average Unit Cost (TY$): | $5M | Service Certified Y2K Compliant |
| Full-rate production: | 2QFY01 | No (ECD: December 1998) |
SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010
The Joint Primary Aircraft Training System (JPATS) is a set of primary flight training devices tailored to meet USAF and USN aircrew requirements. The JPATS's principal mission is to train entry-level USAF/USN student pilots in primary flying skills to a level of proficiency at which they can transition into an advanced pilot training track leading to qualification as military pilots, navigators, and Naval Flight Officers. JPATS is designed to replace the USAF T-37B and USN T-34C aircraft and their associated ground-based training systems (GBTS).
JPATS consists of the T-6A Texan II air vehicles, simulators and associated ground-based training devices, training management system, instructional courseware, and contractor logistics support. The Services will acquire common aircraft and the remaining components will be as common as possible. Logistics support will be tailored to each Service's maintenance concept.
The ground and air components of JPATS support the Joint Vision 2010 objective of preparing joint warriors to meet the challenges of future battlespaces by insuring that they are properly trained.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
In December 1990 the Joint Requirements Oversight Council validated the JPATS Mission Need Statement. Operational requirements were subsequently codified in the JPATS Operational Requirements Document (ORD). JPATS was designated a Defense Acquisition Pilot Program in the 1994 Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act, becoming the first aircraft program to be selected.
An EOA was conducted during the Source Selection Flight Evaluation from July 1994-October 1994 at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Seven candidate aircraft were evaluated, each completing 13 flights. Milestone II was held in August 1995, and the Raytheon Corporation was awarded contracts for Lots 1 and 2 in February 1996. A Milestone II TEMP was approved in July 1995. The ORD was updated in December 1996. Following a source selection process conducted by Raytheon, the GBTS subcontract was awarded to the Flight Safety Services Corporation in April 1997.
Aircraft testing to include development testing by Raytheon, qualification test and evaluation (QT&E) to address joint-service requirements, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certification, commenced in June 1996 and is planned to conclude in March 1999. In March 1997, DOT&E approved a plan for a three-phase OA during QT&E. The first phase of OA flight-testing was completed in April 1997. It focused on four key areas: effectiveness and suitability; programmatic voids; program documentation; and the ability to support the aircraft multi-Service Operational Test and Evaluation (MOT&E). Flight assessment consisted of ten flights and 16 flight hours conducted from April 22-May 1, 1997, in a prototype aircraft that was not production representative. A human factors ground assessment, conducted from May 6-7, 1997, involved 13 Air Force and 15 Navy pilots. Both assessments were conducted at Raytheon Aircraft Company.
TEST & EVALUATION ACTIVITY
During 1998, the TEMP was revised to reflect changes in the ORD, delays in the development and production schedules, and updated GBTS information following selection of a GBTS contractor. This revision contains a more detailed plan for testing the requirements of all GBTS components and the full range of air vehicle missions described in the ORD. The TEMP is currently in the final review/approval cycle.
Developmental testing of the aircraft by Raytheon and QT&E by the Air Force and Navy are ongoing. Raytheon is working to achieve FAA-type certification by March 1999, after having received an extension. Acceptance of the first production aircraft is targeted for February 1999.
Phase II of OA flight-testing began in January 1998, with four of ten flights completed again in the prototype aircraft. Production delays on the EMD article delayed its first flight until July 1998. The remaining six flights of phase II have been deleted due to prototype unavailability. The ten flights slated for phase III on a production-representative aircraft, and planned for summer 1998, have yet to be conducted.
TEST & EVALUATION ASSESSMENT
A MOT&E of the aircraft is planned to occur between April-August 1999. The GBTS MOT&E is currently intended to have two phases: a short in-plant MOT&E in the summer of 2000 and a six-month on-site MOT&E at Randolph AFB starting early 2001. At this time, both parts of the GBTS MOT&E will be conducted after the aircraft Milestone III in January 2000.
Combined contractor DT, Joint Service QTE, and FAA certification testing are behind schedule, as apparent by multiple schedule changes throughout the period. Contributing factors include early delays resulting from protests of the JPATS contract award, as well as more recent delays involving a three-week voluntary suspension of ground and flight tests by Raytheon in September 1998, to address FAA audit comments on Raytheon's conformity inspection process.
Overall slips in the test schedule have the potential to impact upcoming program milestones, including Milestone III. Raytheon must complete FAA-type certification requirements by March 10, 1999, or potentially face new FAA requirements that may necessitate modifications to the aircraft wing design, subsequently leading to more testing. In turn, FAA certification is a prerequisite to MOT&E testing, which is scheduled to begin in April 1999. Formal acceptance of the first production aircraft is also a prerequisite to the start of MOT&E testing. Any significant delay in the start of MOT&E, beyond the planned start date of April 1999, could impact the January 2000 Milestone III aircraft production decision.
The ability to complete remaining OA flight-testing within a decreasing QT&E test window filled with numerous other requirements may be a difficult task. As remaining overall test requirements are examined, continued focus needs to be placed on completion of operational test requirements. Similarly, satisfactory closure of aircraft deficiency items noted by AFOTEC, or the development of satisfactory closure plans, needs to be accomplished prior to the start of MOT&E. This may be difficult as new deficiency items present themselves late in the QT&E phase. Items of concern currently being addressed include canopy icing, inadequate cockpit cooling, nosewheel steering sensitivity, and pilot harness incompatibility.
An additional concern of DOT&E is the development and test schedule of the GBTS in relation to the Milestone III decision date. GBTS is currently in the early stages of development. Planned DT&E extends to May 2000, with focus placed on testing of individual components. In-plant MOT&E of GBTS is planned for June 2000. It will consist of an over-the-shoulder assessment conducted on a non-interference basis at the contractor's plant during DT&E. In addition, AFOTEC will complete seven days of 16-hour hands-on aircrew training device testing. System-Level Formative Evaluation (SLFE) of the GBTS is scheduled for December 2000. As stated in the TEMP, the SLFE will evaluate, for the first time, the capability of many JPATS GBTS components to operate as an integrated system. A dedicated two-week MOT&E will be conducted at Randolph AFB in conjunction with the SLFE. This will represent the first opportunity to evaluate, in part, the integrated JPATS, including the aircraft and GBTS, from an operational perspective. In light of the GBTS T&E schedule, which places all relevant evaluations of the system beyond Milestone III, an additional DOT&E B-LRIP report will be sent to Congress after the GBTS MOT&E. Continued active Air Force and Navy Training Command, and OTA early involvement in the system design and development is particularly critical to the successful implementation of a useable and effective system. Recent lessons learned abound from the Air Force's T-1 Training Management System and the Navy's T-45 Training Integration System. The program office and operational customers (AETC and CNATRA) have structured the program around these lessons, but continued emphasis will be required to ensure program success. Ongoing participation and oversight, from an operational effectiveness perspective, will be a major focus of DOT&E in the next two to three years.
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