Engineers and upkeep consultants from the US Air Force (USAF) and Lockheed Martin are trying to splice collectively sections from two broken F-35 fighter jets, to type a single working plane.
The service is asking the endeavour the “Franken-bird” undertaking.
Both of the 2 F-35 airframes concerned within the undertaking have been broken in separate mishaps. The nostril part of F-35 tail quantity AF-211 was broken past restore in 2020 when the plane skilled a ahead touchdown gear separation.
The broken portion of AF-211 will probably be changed with the undamaged nostril part of tail quantity AF-27, an F-35 that skilled a extreme engine hearth in 2014.
AF-27 has since been used for instance piece for battle harm and restore coaching at Hill AFB in Utah, the place the Franken-bird undertaking is situated.
“This is a first for the F-35 programme and a very exciting project,” says Dan Santos, heavy upkeep supervisor on the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Procurement Office (JPO).
That workplace says it constantly seeks out alternatives to repurpose usable components and methods from broken F-35 plane, both to be used elsewhere or to learn F-35 upkeep and operations.
The Franken-bird staff, which incorporates consultants from the JPO, F-35 producer Lockheed Martin and USAF upkeep technicians, goals to supply an airworthy F-35 from the 2 broken jets.
“Not only will this project return a combat asset back to the war fighter, but it opens the door for repairing future mishap aircraft using tooling, equipment, techniques and knowledge that has been developed,” says Santos.
The USAF says the trouble builds upon a number of recent plane salvage re-purpose tasks, together with the launch of the primary F-35 maintainer coaching facility that makes use of salvaged plane sections for instruction.
Lockheed is beneath contract from the JPO to carry out the work of really connecting the 2 F-35 sections and making a serviceable plane.
The firm spent a number of years inspecting the practicality of the splice thought, earlier than launching the trouble.
“Work began on the feasibility of this project in January 2020, when the F-35 JPO reached out to us because we had already accomplished the really big damage restoration projects for the F-22,” says Scott Taylor, Lockheed’s lead mechanical engineer on Franken-bird.
Taylor notes the undertaking consists of “meticulous documentation” of the brand new procedures being developed. These might ultimately be built-in into regular upkeep operations.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” he notes. “This is the first F-35 Franken-bird to date.”
Specialized tooling, fixtures and gear have been designed and constructed for the undertaking, based on the USAF. The service assembled the bundle with a watch towards future abroad deployment, the place it could not be capable of rapidly substitute broken plane.
“We’ve designed versatile tooling that fits neatly into a [container] box, making it transportable to various locations, including forward operation areas,” says Taylor.
The USAF says the brand new, cell fixtures can obtain the identical outcomes as the big, stationary automated manufacturing jigs at Lockheed’s F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas.
The service says the extra functionality confirmed by the Franken-bird undertaking will profit F-35 operators around the globe.
“The F-35 programme is still young compared to all legacy airframes,” says Dave Myers, lead engineer for the JPO’s help staff. “We are doing this for the first time, and organizationally for the future, we are creating a process we can move forward with.”
The USAF expects to finish the meeting undertaking in of March 2025.
