ALIS Delay Could Impact F-35 IOC

The next update to the F-35’s critical maintenance software will likely be at least 60 days late, which could impact the Air Force’s goal of reaching initial operational capability this year, said Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, F-35 program executive officer. Earlier this month, Bogdan said he expected ALIS to be delayed “40-60 days.” Once it is delivered, “it is up to the US Air Force to decide what to do in August,” Bogdan told members of the House Armed Services Committee’s tactical air and land forces panel on Wednesday. ALIS has seen consistent issues, prompting F-35 maintainers to develop workarounds that have been “systematically getting improved,” he said. While the program is “not anywhere near where we need to be with ALIS,” maintainers have seen improvements every time there is an update, Bogdan said. Michael Sullivan, the director of acquisition and sourcing management issues with the Government Accountability Office, said the GAO has established a separate team to look specifically at issues with ALIS, and has produced a report that is beginning to make the rounds on Capitol Hill. (See also: The Bumpy Path to IOC.)