Process Improvements for New F-35 EOTS Detector Material

J2622 — F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS) Producibility Phase 4

Objective

The EOTS is a high-performance, lightweight, multifunctional system for precise air-
to-air and air-to-surface targeting. Production of the EOTS focal plane array sensing
element and the integrated dewar-cooler had initially suffered from inefficiencies and
were unable to meet production quantities at the required cost points when the EOTS
multiple-phase producibility effort was initiated. Since the producibility program’s
inception, significant improvements have been made to meet production quantities
at the required cost points. Leveraging the success achieved in the first three phases
of the F-35 Lightning II EOTS producibility projects, this Electro-Optics Center
(EOC) project continued to drive down the cost and risk of key EOTS infrared
components while transitioning the EOTS mid-wave infrared integrated dewar-
cooler assembly to a high operating temperature advanced detector.

Payoff

Insertion of the new detector into the current EOTS configuration provides multiple
affordability advantages, from increased capacity and reduced focal plane array
processing hours and span time to increased reliability and maintainability of the
integrated dewar-cooler assembly. The focal plane arrays will also be more uniform
and manufacturable and have better yield and performance than the current focal
plane arrays. Together, these tasks are expected to save over $62M for the F-35
Lightning II Program.

Implementation

The F-35 Lightning II EOTS is the transition platform. These producibility
improvements were implemented in a phased approach. Improvements to the
production efforts were qualified, approved, and cut into production during and
subsequent to completion of this project. Those manufacturing process-level changes
were required to be reviewed and approved by the internal Santa Barbara Focalplane
Process Control Review Board. Improvements that were specific to the niobium
nitride (nBn) detector material will be implemented upon successful qualification
and flight testing to prove there are no adverse performance issues with the new
detector material (a parallel effort has been funded outside this ManTech project
and is anticipated to complete during the first quarter of FY22). This EOC project
implemented multiple industry-approved process changes impacting Lots 13 and
beyond. Process changes associated specifically with the nBn detector material are
anticipated to be implemented in FY22 and impact Lot 14 and beyond. This project
was a joint effort with Air Force Research Laboratory.