Photo By John Olmstead | During a Micro Boots on the Ground event held April 28 at Fleet Readiness Center East,...... read more read more
Fleet Readiness Center East hosted leaders from Naval Air Systems Command April 28 to discuss issues affecting aviation and personnel readiness, including turnaround time reduction, dynamic planning and organization, as well as receive feedback on recent training initiatives.
NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. Dean Peters and acting Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers Capt. Christopher Couch visited the depot as part of a “Micro Boots on the Ground” event focused on East coast installations. Leaders visited Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and FRC Mid-Atlantic at NAS Oceana, Virginia, April 27. The group wrapped up the event at FRC Southeast in Jacksonville, Florida, April 29.
At FRCE, the event kicked off with a discussion of production turnaround times for several type/model/series aircraft and components serviced at the facility. Nieto shared with Peters some of the depot’s success stories in reducing turnaround times on the T64 engine, V-22 Osprey aircraft, and high-priority accountable backorders.
“We’re happy to have Vice Admiral Peters here at FRC East so we can show him the progress our team has made in improving turnaround times, and discuss some of the challenges we face as we continue to push those times even lower,” said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. Mark E. Nieto. “Our people and our partners, like Defense Logistics Agency and Naval Supply Systems Command, have done amazing work in providing support for warfighter readiness, and I’m proud we can highlight these efforts in discussions with our NAVAIR and COMFRC leaders.”
Support from NAVAIR and COMFRC will be integral in continuing to reduce those turnaround times while enhancing the organic services provided by Department of Defense maintenance depots like FRCE, Peters noted.
“There are some great news stories here at FRC East, and Captain Couch and I are working to ensure we keep the focus on organic repairs,” he said. “We appreciate the work you’re doing here, and we’re fighting for you every day.”
The Micro BOG included a walkthrough of select facilities and an overview of the laser shock peening procedure being used to strengthen the frames of the short takeoff-vertical landing (STOVL) variant of the F-35 Lightning II. The process takes place in a purpose-built, $6 million facility and gives FRCE a capability for the F-35 aircraft that exists in only one other location in the world. The process, which has been utilized on the F-22 Raptor and in manufacturing aircraft components, uses high-energy laser pulses to strengthen materials without adding additional metal or weight, which results in increased aircraft lifespan and reduced maintenance costs.
While at the F-35 facility, Peters and Couch paused to recognize the efforts of the F-35 Rapid Response Team in maintaining fleet readiness. Members of the team recently conducted simultaneous deployments to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, and aboard the USS Makin Island, underway in the Arabian Sea, to inspect and repair 12 F-35B aircraft, in under 40 days – including travel, precautionary restriction of movement and workdays.
Leaders also toured FRCE’s V-22 hangar and production control center to discuss planned maintenance interval services for the aircraft, and received a demonstration of how the depot uses data visualization tools to help improve production throughput. The visual dashboard helps make it easy to see where production challenges lie by providing a graphic representation of aircraft and component status.
Another topic of discussion: Improvements to throughput that have come as a result of daily “tier” meetings that start at the shop level and extend all the way through the department level, which have helped bring together the right stakeholders to tackle the inhibitors causing delays. Weekly production briefings to the command team bring into focus the issues most detrimental to warfighter readiness.
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot generates combat air power for America’s Marines and naval forces while serving as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.
| Date Taken: | 05.04.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 05.04.2021 13:00 |
| Story ID: | 395583 |
| Location: | CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Hometown: | HAVELOCK, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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