The Navy has launched a Programmed Structural Sustainment Restore program for the handfuls of F-16s acquired from the Air Pressure, which is able to permit them to fly by means of 2035.
The U.S. Naval Air Programs Command (NAVAIR) introduced final week two main milestones with its ex-U.S. Air Pressure F-16 jets used within the Adversary position. The Adversary and Specialised Plane Program Workplace (PMA-226) and Fleet Readiness Heart Southwest (FRCSW) stated they accomplished the “first-ever Programmed Structural Sustainment Restore (PSSR)” on a U.S. Navy F-16C Viper this month, delivering the plane “eight months early.”
This milestone adopted FRCSW and PMA-226 organising a brand new upkeep program for the Navy’s F-16 Vipers. The important depot-level facility, offering PSSR capabilities to the plane, was launched in “an unprecedented 18-month timeline,” as an alternative of the common 5 years often obligatory for this exercise.
U.S. Navy F-16s
The Navy operates retired U.S. Air Pressure F-16A/B fighters because the 2000s, and later obtained its first F-16C/D fighters in 2022. They changed F-5N Tiger IIs of the Fleet Composite Squadron (VFC) 13 “Combating Saints” at Naval Air Station (NAS) Fallon, Nevada, that obtained 20 single-seat Block 32 F-16Cs and 6 two-seat Block 25 F-16Ds from the USAF. The USAF was retiring them in step with a divestment scheme to section out 124 F-16s by 2026.
The Navy describes adversary plane in its finances paperwork saying they supply “important sorties” in assist of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Techniques Teacher (SFTI) course (TOPGUN) – beforehand referred to as Fighter Weapons Faculty and the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Heart (TOPGUN) at NAS Fallon, in addition to Fleet Alternative Squadrons and Service Strike Teams.
“The F-16 performs an important position within the Navy’s stock, serving as an economical, 4+ technology adversary plane for coaching operational pilots,” says NAVAIR. “The jets are flown by the Naval Aviation Warfighting Improvement Heart (NAWDC) and Air Pressure Reserve parts to simulate fashionable threats throughout deployment coaching and TOPGUN actions for naval aviators.”
The service plans to make use of each the F-5s and the F-16s of their Adversary mission by means of 2035.
PSSR on U.S. Navy F-16C Viper
In line with PMA-226 and FRCSW, the primary PSSR on the F-16 was accomplished eight months forward of schedule, demonstrating the “capability to ship crucial capabilities to the fleet with unprecedented velocity and precision.” Program supervisor for PMA-226, Capt. Jason Pettitt, stated the strategic collaboration between FRCSW and PMA-226 noticed each groups working tirelessly to “procure, prepare and set up the required tools to face up the F-16 PSSR functionality in simply 18 months – an unprecedented tempo for depot line activation.”
The necessity for this sort of work sparked from the truth that “F-16s acquired from the Air Pressure had been life-limited between one to 5 years,” says NAVAIR. The Navy thus wants to make sure that these plane “proceed to soundly function for many years as an adversary coaching plane.”
The collaborative effort between PMA-226 and FRCSW “targeted on performing important buildings inspections and repairs,” defined the service. Mark Greenamyer, the F-16 Depot Integration lead with PMA-226, stated: “Bringing a brand new plane right into a army depot in 18 months is a tremendous achievement. Most depot standup actions can take 5 years or extra.”
Challenges included adapting to Air Pressure technical knowledge within the Navy, “manually including hundreds of components to the Navy provide system, and coaching personnel on a brand new platform,” whereas organising a brand new depot for the brand new platform. Greenamyer stated the primary plane induction was used as a studying alternative for “processes, calculating timelines and coaching artisans,” including that cross-service collaboration with the Air Pressure’s PSSR course of helped “keep away from potential pitfalls and streamline their very own planning efforts.”
The NAVAIR launch additional stated that the FRCSW is now increasing its capability to assist your entire fleet of plane with further docks. It is usually “engaged on its first Cover Sil Longeron (CSL) restore and is scheduled to use the primary Uniform Have Glass (UHG) paint software.”
New depot program for Navy F-16 upkeep
FRCSW and PMA-226 additionally talked in regards to the total upkeep program for the U.S. Navy’s F-16 Viper plane, the PSSR, which has similarities to the Navy’s F/A-18 Excessive Flight Hour Inspection. The trouble required the procurement of recent tools, the design and set up of specialised instruments, and devising coaching packages.
The service says a standout achievement was the “fast adaptation of legacy F/A-18 tools for F-16 use, notably the wing removing and set up stands.”
“Utilizing legacy F/A-18 inside wing stands, the group was capable of adapt these instruments to the F-16, working with engineers to make sure security and structural integrity,” defined NAVAIR. “The end result was a brand new course of that allowed for a extra environment friendly, cost-effective technique of servicing the plane.”
For example, the service talked about that, when unable to supply crucial bolts by means of the Navy’s provide system, the group refurbished outdated bolts and received engineers to approve them for “continued utilization within the upkeep course of.” Jake Weintraub, FRCSW’s lead engineer for the F-16 program, licensed the adjustments and engineering modifications, together with the introduction of the primary Native Engineering Specification (LES) from the U.S. Navy on the F-16.
A LES gives detailed, particular technical necessities for upkeep, restore, and engineering assist on the native ranges of Naval Air Stations or the Fleet Readiness Facilities. The Depot additionally partnered with personnel from Hill Air Pressure Base (AFB), Utah, who offered precious coaching on F-16 programs. This coaching started when PMA-226 was capable of procure a coach plane and despatched it to FRCSW for a familiarization effort.
Personnel from Hill AFB then offered hands-on coaching periods on wing removing and set up, tire and wheel servicing, and different primary upkeep duties. Lockheed Martin in the meantime offered steering on “radar-absorbent coatings and different structural repairs.”
U.S. Navy Adversary F-16 procurement and modernization
The service goals to have extra F-16s, together with Block 40 and above, for its personal aggressor (AGR) squadrons. The U.S. Navy’s Fiscal 12 months 2022 finances doc stated 20 single-seat Block 32 F-16Cs and 6 two-seat Block 25 F-16Ds had been being transferred to the Navy on the time.
Darkish Falcon! One of many 20 F-16C Block 32s transferred from the USAF to the US Navy’s VFC-13, “Combating Saints,” composite squadron primarily based at NAS Fallon. TopGun’s purple star aggressors. pic.twitter.com/1vbsIMTtHI
— Air Energy (@RealAirPower1) October 21, 2024
The U.S. Navy’s FY 2026 finances doc has calculated $21.53 million to assist Adversary plane. These embrace 42 F-5 Tiger IIs (39 F-5Ns and three F-5Fs) with upkeep for its J-85 engines, in addition to 14 F-16 Block 15s (10 F-16As and 4 F-16Bs) and the upkeep assist for its F-100 engine.
The doc added that an extra 22 F-5s (16 F-5Es and 6 F-5Fs) had been procured in 2020 from the Swiss authorities and had been slated to be upgraded to the USN/USMC NATOPS configuration. It then referred to the 26 F-16s (20 F-16Cs Block 32 and 6 F-16Ds Block 25) that had been transferred since April 2022 from the US Air Pressure/Air Nationwide Guard.
“These plane will probably be upgraded to take care of frequent configuration with the USAF program,” stated the doc. “Adversary Missions Programs will present peer menace replication and assist future integration of Dwell, Digital, and Constructive (LVC) capabilities.”
A #USNavy TopGun F-16B at NAS Fallon (Circa 2007). Do you know that this specific F-16 was really meant for Pakistan? Again within the 80s, Pakistan positioned an order for 111 F-16A/Bs. Nonetheless, 71 of those jets had been embargoed by the US as a consequence of Pakistan’s nuclear program. pic.twitter.com/Zj3BhqNM6f
— Air Energy (@RealAirPower1) October 15, 2024
The doc additionally lists a complete request of $13.5 million for the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and mission programs upgrades for the Adversary F-16A/B fleet. This consists of the legacy Falcon Structural Augmentation Roadmap (STAR) and extra structural modifications “to increase the service life of the present Adversary F-16 fleet from 4,250 flight hours to eight,000 equal flight hours.”
The programs work in the meantime includes depot and area team-level work of “avionics and radar upgrades to take care of a typical configuration with the USAF F-16 program.”
