Marines' new F-35 software warns maintainers of needed fixes

As the Marine F-35B joint strike fighter completes final operational testing, including bomb runs and shipboard landings, a lesser publicized piece of the program critical to keeping the jet in the air received its last required upgrade before the aircraft can be certified as ready for war.

Affectionately known as ALIS, the Autonomic Logistics Information System used by Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 out of Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, serves as the information hub for the F-35, transmitting aircraft health and maintenance needs directly to maintainers, said Gunnery Sgt. Brian Erline, the VMFA-121 aviation logistics information management systems chief.

The high-tech software allows pilots to create a mission profile on a hard drive that they load onto their aircraft before taking flight.

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