Photo By Airman 1st Class Victoria Moehlman | Tyndall Air Force Base’s latest U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II sits on the flight...... read more read more
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The 325th Maintenance Squadron low observable maintenance unit plays a crucial role in maintaining F-35A Lightning II aircraft at Tyndall, ensuring its stealth features stay ready via four major means: visual, infrared, audio and radar.
“Low observability” is a term that represents the element of surprise in combat operations. This capability is vital to Tyndall’s mission as it enhances pilots’ strategic advantage by reducing the likelihood of detection, which increases the safety of personnel and equipment and enables successful operations. Without low observable maintainers the fifth-generation aircraft cannot sustain stealth capabilities, making the F-35 susceptible to detection and jeopardizing mission operations.
“The overall goal is to ensure that when a pilot starts taxiing their aircraft, they have the confidence to go in and breach enemy space with the assurance of a good, working [low observable] system, so they can do what they need to do undetected,” said Tech. Sgt. Ryan McGarrigle, 325th Maintenance Squadron low observable maintenance craftsman. “[Our goal is] to make the aircraft as small as possible on radar, sound and sight.”
Low observability maintenance is a complex system that goes beyond normal camouflage efforts, such as anti-visibility aircraft paint. One of the aircraft’s targeting sensors features an electro-optical targeting system, which is just one of the many components within the low observable system that is highly valuable yet extremely delicate. Maintenance on this unique system is considered a specialized and intricate art, which is another necessity for F-35s to remain undetectable in contested areas.
“It’s important because we are the only Air Force in the world to have consistently operated low observable aircraft for an extended period of time, and it keeps us several steps ahead of our adversaries,” stated Airman 1st Class Philip James, 325th MXS low observable maintenance apprentice.
Low observable maintenance is a unique field that demands craftsmanship and a finesse that sets it apart, according to McGarrigle. While other maintenance career fields have a wider range of maintenance processes, LO demands strict precision from the team in every aspect of their work from the tools they use to the meticulous tasks they perform on the F-35.
“I have enjoyed working as a low observable maintainer; it’s very rewarding,” said James. “There are times that it can be frustrating because we must go set a panel up and then we have to take it right back off again. [However,] in that same breath, it can be very rewarding after you have been working on an aircraft for a couple of hours and then restore it from subpar to something optimal— that is something to be really proud of.”
Team Tyndall also depends on low observable maintainers to remove any materials located in or around aircraft panels. Once other maintainers have completed their work, LO is responsible for restoring the aircraft to its original condition, ensuring it is ready for field operations. Other maintainers cannot remove the panels without LO, as they lack the necessary tools and expertise to handle the specialized radar-absorbent materials of the F-35.
“If other maintainers, apart from LO, tried to remove the panels from the aircraft themselves, they could potentially scratch the deposits and damage it,” mentioned James. “Damage would require a whole other repair process focused strictly on the composites of the aircraft.”
LO’s days often involve receiving information from the previous shift, an aircraft prioritization brief, forming teams and gathering materials while performing maintenance until shift turnover starts the process over.
James explained that their continuous operations provide warfighters with unwavering power, stealth, survivability and lethality in maintaining F-35s, ensuring the overall team is proficient in their skills and capable of utilizing them under various conditions and circumstances.
“Without LO, the jet is going to glow on radar, and it’s our job to make it as invisible as possible,” said McGarrigle. “With current technology, the jets aren’t fully invisible on radar, [but] we do our best to get as close as possible to make sure that [the aircraft] is as unrecognizable as possible.”
| Date Taken: | 08.16.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.22.2024 19:14 |
| Story ID: | 479280 |
| Location: | TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 455 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tyndall's LO Airmen protect F-35 stealth capabilities, by A1C Victoria Moehlman, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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