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Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) was established in 1919, making the command the Birthplace of Naval Aviation Maintenance. As the premier Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) facility in the Department of Defense, the command is tasked with providing world-class support to Navy and Marine Corps, tactical, logistical, and rotary wing aircraft and their components. The command has proven its ability over the years with a variety of successful maintenance programs all designed to extend the life of these aircraft and provide world-class support to the men and women of the Navy and Marine Corps. One example of these efforts is the Center Barrel Replacement (CBR) program where an FRCSW team analyzed a crash-damaged “Legacy” F/A-18 that had just 200 flight hours on its frame. Instead of having to replace the aircraft in its entirety, the command came up with an innovative solution to replace the center barrel, saving time and money for the US Taxpayer. The need to extend the life of the original or “Legacy” Hornets and bridge the strike fighter gap during wartime almost twenty years ago, is what prompted the development of the CBR program as well as both the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) and Service Life Assessment Program (SLAP).
Today command personnel are faced with having to extend the life of the newer version of the “Legacy” Hornets - the Super Hornet. Super Hornets came online in the mid-1990s and the airframe is now at the point in its service life where it needs to be extended in order to ensure the US Navy has the optimum number of assets necessary to achieve its mission.
The knowledge gained through the CBR, SLAP and SLEP programs has allowed FRCSW to continue that effort by working to support Navy and Marine Corps personnel through a new program for F/A-18 Super Hornets dubbed Service Life Modification (SLM). SLM is an improved evolution of these legacy programs that aims to utilize the vast knowledge of command artisans to extend the service life of the Super Hornet airframe from 6,000 to 7,500 flight hours with an ultimate goal of reaching 10,000 hours just like FRCSW artisans previously did with the “Legacy” F/A-18 aircraft.
As FRCSW anticipated the arrival of the F/A-18 that would be the first of the SLM program inducted at a Navy/Marine Corps depot, leaders from different departments came together, bringing their best collaborative approach to the mission. As the only organic repair facility in the US military performing this operation, the command recognized the degree of innovation and expertise necessary to complete the mission. Ehren Terbeek, F/A-18 Legacy & Super Hornet Program Manager, was interviewed prior to his team beginning work on the SLM aircraft. He stated that he was determined to complete the mission faster than the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEMs) current timeline, a 17-month turn-around time (TAT). Combining a determined focus and hard work, with the expertise of his team of artisans on the production floor, Terbeek’s team was able to meet his expectations.
The SLM work turned out to be less invasive in nature than the previous work on F/A-18’s performed at the command. This along with the combined efforts of leadership and everyone in each department allowed FRCSW to successfully complete the mission under budget and in almost a third of the original TAT estimate of 17 months.
Exactly how command personnel were able to successfully perform the SLM repairs goes beyond the experience of the artisans performing the work. The engineers overseeing and assisting have a long history working with F/A-18 aircraft, but that didn’t stop them from learning more throughout this repair process.
“There was a learning curve for the engineers because of the implementation of new inspections, modifications, and analysis techniques to substantiate all of the structural repairs that were accomplished on the airframe.” said Jonathan Ramba, F18 & EA 18-G Department Head (MRO Engineering).
Previous experience armed Ramba’s team with the knowledge that internal corrosion conditions would be a challenge for the SLM aircraft, but the team came up with a game plan. The plan substantiated the team’s ability to meet the 7,500 hour level providing repair instructions for the artisans on the production floor. Ramba’s team was able to successfully execute that plan. It also enabled a sound projection for the future execution of the 10,000 flight hour extension for the airframe. “The work and expertise that FRCSW provides in order to deliver the aircraft within the required timeline while still providing the highest standards of quality is what makes FRCSW a pivotal player in this operation,” Ramba says.
The employees of FRCSW have a shared understanding of just how critical this mission is to the warfighter. They know that their efforts with the SLM program provide the men and women of the United States military the tools to fight and win the necessary battles. FRCSW employees brought their excellence, combined knowledge, and collaborative spirit to this task. Steven Mayo, Aircraft Mechanic Work Lead, and Alan Cooper, Aircraft Sheet Metal Work Lead, oversaw the work performed on the SLM aircraft throughout the entire process from teardown to inspection to working with engineers who provided repair instructions.
“As a command, this mission means a lot.” Mayo said. “The aircraft are starting to hit their life limits and there are not enough to replace them. SLM gives the warfighter the ability to have the tools they need to keep flying for several more years up to an additional 4,000 hours from what the original life limit was.”
Prior to the induction of the first SLM jet at FRCSW, the command was given 17 months and six million dollars to complete the mission.
“We accomplished this in five months, twenty-three days, and under four million dollars,” said Sam Filali, FRCSW FA-18 FST lead.
Partnering with Boeing and the Navy F/A-18 Program Office (PMA-265) on this effort has allowed FRCSW to surpass the current industry standards for TAT, cost, and quality. Filali emphasized that without the full support of leadership none of this would have been possible. In the same way that players from many different teams store their current jerseys in lockers and come together to form a national World Cup team wearing just one jersey with one goal - to win the world cup, personnel from different departments of FRCSW as well as partners outside the command came together to wear the “FRCSW jersey.” With a determined mindset and an aligned mission much like the players of the World Cup, everyone brought their excellence and expertise to the table to respond to the challenge.
Filali says that they are “looking forward to the next set of jets coming in for SLM work so the command can continue to provide the best value for the program and provide the war fighter with the most capable and lethal aircraft possible.”
| Date Taken: | 02.14.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 02.14.2023 12:54 |
| Story ID: | 438447 |
| Location: | CORONADO , CALIFORNIA, US |
| Hometown: | CORONADO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 497 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, FRCSW Pioneers Service Life Modification on Super Hornet, by Janina Lamoglia, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
