F-35 C2D2

The F-35B C2D2 program, overseen by the Navy, is dedicated to advancing the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This initiative aims to produce a next-generation strike aircraft with significant commonality across its variants, including the F-35A, F-35B, and F-35C. The program's goals are to minimize life cycle costs through maximum commonality while ensuring the aircraft meets evolving warfighting needs. The Continuous Capability Development & Delivery (C2D2) strategy plays a crucial role in this effort, offering incremental improvements to maintain air dominance against emerging threats.

A key component of this program is Utility and Subsystem Support to Mission Systems, which addresses increased cooling and electrical power demands due to new mission system requirements. This involves upgrading systems like the Power Thermal Management System (PTMS) and Fuel Thermal Management System (FTMS) to handle increased thermal loads. The aim is to ensure that future mission system upgrades can be supported without major changes to existing systems.

Another important aspect is Air Vehicle - Technology Refresh 3 (TR-3), focusing on post-Critical Design Review activities for developing a flight-worthy TR-3 system. This includes integrating new backplane technology, commercial operating systems, and modified middleware necessary for supporting Block 3F functionality and Block 4 capabilities. The TR-3 initiative seeks to ensure long-term viability for future capabilities through nonrecurring engineering efforts.

The Air Vehicle Block 4 Planning & Systems Engineering project aims to enhance the F-35's lethality, survivability, and interoperability in response to near-peer threats. This involves developing software-based capabilities, integrating new hardware, and expanding weapons integration efforts. The project supports agile development processes and emphasizes cyber resilience engineering to address critical threats while maintaining operational suitability and reducing life cycle costs.