How AS9100 Certification Helped Build a Fourth-Generation Fighter (Demo)

As a relatively new plane, the F-22 Raptor has yet to be tested in actual combat. Nevertheless, had it not been for Lockheed Martin’s efforts, it wouldn’t have made it off the drawing board. July 8, 2014 will be a milestone for USAF Maj. Daniel Lee, callsign “Magic,” of the 325th Fighter Wing. His last sortie helped him reach 1,000 hours of flying time, along with four others. While he’s not busy protecting America’s skies, he’s busy training the next generation of pilots in flying the stealth fighter. WJHG reports:

“In his more than 20 years in the Air Force, Maj. Lee has moved around the country, but he says he’ll always call Tyndall home. “Living on the beach and flying Raptors is just about as good as it’s going to get,” he joked. Now he trains others to fly the Raptor in the 43rd Fighter Squadron.”

Entering service in 2005, Lockheed Martin’s F-22 is considered by many defense experts to be the pinnacle of aviation technology with the addition of stealth. It’s not invisible to the naked eye, but sensors will have a hard time detecting it due to its radar-defeating coating and design. Maj. Lee is one of a handful of pilots chosen to fly the F-22 (only 187 were made). The Texas-based company may be credited with designing the fighter, but it didn’t make the fighter alone. Its engines came from Pratt & Whitney, avionics from BAE Systems, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, and its operating system (even fighter planes have one) from IBM. It’s this collective effort that made the Raptor a reality. For Lockheed Martin to do business with these companies, it has to be AS9100 certified. In general, major companies around the world require other companies to be ISO-certified to conduct business with the former. This strict guideline on quality standards for the aerospace industry helps them distinguish who’s worthy of an investment. The AS9100, according to quality management experts, focuses more on how a product is made than what the product being made is. This simple concept virtually applies to other industry-specific standards. It gives customers (i.e. companies that worked with Lockheed Martin) an idea of how the company (i.e. Lockheed Martin) will use their resources. To summarize, AS9100 certification had a huge— albeit unsung— role in the creation of the F-22, as well as the company’s other products. It pays to carry the mark of efficient resource allocation and management, that is, an AS9100 registrar mark. Certification services like ISA Registrar can help businesses attain their standardization goals and become more active in business. (Source: “F-22 Pilot Celebrates 1,000 Hrs. in Air at Tyndall AFB,” WJHG, July 8, 2014)