2008-1 by avia lduo

EMBLEMS

SUCCESS OF

quadron patches have been rallying devices for squadrons and wings since the beginning of air combat. The symbols were first used on US airplanes during World War I to differentiate aero squadrons from each other. The transition to p atch e s o n u n i fo r m s c a m e s h o r t l y af te r. M o re re ce nt l y, a i rcr af t p ro gr a m s, projects, and contractors have adopted the colorful insignia to build program morale and use as promotional giveaways.

Ninth Air Force

Tenth Air Force

ELEVENTH Air Force

TWELFTH AIR FORCE

Nineteenth Air Force

1st Fighter Wing

1st FW Integration Office

27th Fighter Squadron

94th Fighter Squadron

192nd Fighter Wing

Progress on the F-22 program has turned Raptor patch collecting into a growth industry. More than 10 0 aircraft are now flying at five different bases with two more bases designated for additional F-22 units. Each new squadron and wing adds to the total. Even deployments generate new patches. Programs and projects account for even more patches. The array of F-22 insignia on the following pages represents a wide cross section of the Raptor program as a whole. The patches also represent the evolution of the Raptor as it matured from test, to training, to combat readiness, and, more recently, to realworld deployments.

Langley AFB, Virginia

Langley AFB, VirgInia

Langley AFB, Virginia

The collection is divided into three main categories: operational/test, program/project, and early program. ( We did not include F/A-22 patches that featured the same basic design.) We believe the first Raptor patch was a program patch for the first YF-22 prototype designed by James Sergeant, a flight test engineer, during the demonstration/ validation phase of the program. It’s here in the collection with more than 120 others. We think we have nearly all of the F-22 patches made. If we missed one, send it in, and we’ll update the collection on the magazine’s Web site, www.codeonemagazine.com.

Air Combat Command

Air Education and Training Command

Code One

Pacific Air Forces

Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center

Air Force MateriEl Command

Air Force Reserve Command

BACKGROUND PHOTOS BY KATSUHIKO TOKUNAGA

OPERATIONAL/TEST

Langley AFB, Virginia

Kadena AB Deployment 2007

Deployment Patch 2007

Langley AFB, Virginia

OPERATIONAL/TEST

Air National Guard

Langley AFB, Virginia

First Quarter 2008

149th Fighter Squadron Langley AFB, Virginia

7th Fighter Squadron

Holloman AFB, New Mexico

477TH Fighter GROUP

90th Fighter Squadron

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

525th Fighter Squadron

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

53rd Wing

90th Fighter Squadron

EGLIN AFB, FLORIDA

59th Test and Evaluation Sq

422nd Test and Evaluation Sq

525th Fighter Squadron

302nd Fighter Squadron Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

Hickam AFB, Hawaii

422nd Test and Evaluation Sq

Air Force Weapons School

422nd Test and Evaluation Sq

Hawaii Air National Guard

199th Fighter Squadron

531st Fighter Squadron

422nd Test and Evaluation Sq

Headquarters ACC Requirements Office

325th Fighter Wing

43rd Fighter Squadron

3rd Wing

43rd Fighter Squadron

Nellis AFB, Nevada

F-22 System Program Office

Code One

8th Fighter Squadron

Nellis AFB, Nevada

3rd Wing

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

Nellis AFB, Nevada

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

Tyndall AFB, Florida

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

Hickam AFB, Hawaii

Tyndall AFB, Florida

Elmendorf AFB, Alaska

154th Wing

OPERATIONAL/TEST

49th Fighter Wing

Holloman AFB, New Mexico

Demonstration Team

Hickam AFB, Hawaii

Tyndall AFB, Florida

First Quarter 2008

43rd Fighter Squadron

Integration Office

Combined Test Force

100 Test Hours

First Flight of 4004 Marietta, Georgia

First Flight-Boeing Pilot Raptor 4003

Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008

411th Flight Test Squadron

Combined Test Force

Defense Contract Management Agency Marietta, Georgia

Developmental Test

Edwards AFB, California

Final Finishes

Combined Test Force

Final Finishes

Edwards AFB, California

Tyndall AFB, Florida

Edwards AFB, California

Worn by Pilots

Lockheed Fire Department Marietta, Georgia

Edwards AFB, California

Marietta, Georgia

First Flight Team Ship 4001

Combined Test Force Climatic Testing 2002

Combined Test Force Climatic Testing 2007

Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation

Flight Test

757 Flying Test Bed Team

Instrumentation Team

Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Command Detachment 6

Advanced Fighters Evaluation Team

Low Observables Flight Test

Modification Team

Photo Chase

Fifth Generation Fighter Division

System Program Office Advanced Tactical Fighter

F-22 System Program Office

Team

PROGRAM

Code One

Avionics Branch

First Quarter 2008

PROGRAM/PROJECT

OPERATIONAL/TEST

Tyndall AFB, Florida

PROGRAM

PROGRAM/PROJECT

PROGRAM

Program

Raptor Driver

PROGRAM

Maintainer

PROGRAM

UNKNOWN

First Operational Delivery

Early Team

PROGRAM

Code One

PROGRAM

Tyndall AFB, Florida

PROGRAM

EMD Flight Test

PROGRAM

EMD Attaboy

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney F119 Engine

Ejection Seat Sled Test

Zero Defect

Flight Test Team

YF-22 Flight Test Team

Combined Test Force

Lockheed Advanced Tactical Fighter

F-22 Company Team

PRESENTED TO PILOTS

Ships 4052, 4053, 4058

YF-22 No. 2

YF-22 and YF-23

Four Aircraft

F119 Engine

Ship 4026

YF-22 No. 1

First Quarter 2008

EARLY PROGRAM

PROGRAM

PROGRAM/PROJECT

Raptor 04 Completion

First Aircraft With Full Avionics Suite

“ I F T H E R E I S S O M E T H I N G T H AT CA N B E D O N E W IT H A P - 3 , W E H A V E P R O B A B LY D O N E I T , ” S A Y S C O L . C H R I S T I A N S C H Ø N F E L DT, C O M M A N D E R O F 1 3 3 A I R W I N G , T H E R OYA L NORWEGIAN AIR FORCE MARITIME PATROL UNIT AT ANDØYA A I R S TAT I O N . “ W E C O U N T E V E RY T H I N G F R O M S E A L S A N D WHALES TO SEA- L AUNCHED BALLISTIC MISSILES.”

who can look down from his office window and see land’s end. “It is obvious we are in a strategic location,” adds Schønfeldt. “The Cold War is over, but we are still interested in monitoring t he Russia ns for a variety of reasons. We are closer than any other NATO base to their test and exercise areas, and we can monitor what they are doing on almost a daily basis.”

Col. Christian Schønfeldt

Lt. Col. Håvard Berg-Olsen

t is rare that the six Norwegian O r ion s—fou r P-3C s a nd t wo uniquely configured P-3Ns—are all at the base at the same time. “In late 2007, we had only three aircraft on station,” notes Lt. Col. Håvard B e r g- O l s e n , c o m m a n d e r o f 333 Squ ad ron, t he P-3 f ly i ng u n it at Andøya (An-dough-yah). “Two of the Charlies [P-3Cs] were in depot maintenance, and one P-3N was being modified. We f lew long missions with what we had. We had one a ircra f t la nding and one taking off most days.” But busy days are nothing new for 333 Squad ron crews. They have b e en a c t ive c on10

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stantly since the unit, which dates back to World War II, moved to Andøya in 1962. The reason? As any realtor will tell you: location, location, location. Andøya AS is located at the northern t ip of A ndøya Isla nd at t he fa r western edge of Norway, 170 miles above the Arctic Circle. While isolated, the base is only seventy-five minutes flying time from Murmansk, Russia’s only year-round, ice-free harbor. Much of the Russian naval fleet is based there. “For the Russians in the Barents Sea, the quickest route to Europe, the north Atlantic, a nd t he Un it e d States, is right by t he a i r st at ion,” s ay s B e r g- Ol s e n ,

BY JEFF RHODES PHOTOS BY JOHN ROSSINO First Quarter 2008

SAY CHEESE A bulletin board on the way to the squadron briefing room is filled with a series of flip charts that contain photos of the month. The photos are divided into several categories—naval vessels, commercial ships, aircraft, submarines, and other. The last category includes shots of newly spotted radar antennas on frigates and towed target barges. The briefing room itself contains large framed images, the photos of the year. All of these are deemed the biggest annual intelligence scoops dating back to the 1970s. “Our crews take a lot of photos, and our intelligence section analyzes them for changes or new equipment. We’ve done this with the P-3 for almost forty years,” says Schønfeldt. “The Russians know we are photographing them. We get our photos, and then we let them do their thing. We contribute every day to the information Norwegian leaders need, and our crews take a lot of satisfaction from that. We put emphasis on not being too much in their way. Our interactions are usually quite civil.” There was one notable exception. In 1987, a Soviet Su-27 interceptor pilot collided with a Norwegian P-3 over international waters. Incidentally, then-Lieutenant Schønfeldt was the crew’s tactical coordinator on that f light. Today the broken propeller blade from that collision resides in the 333 Squadron ready room along with the only casualty of the incident, a portable vacuum cleaner that was nearly cut in half when the prop tip penetrated the fuselage. The squadron entered t he public spot light af ter extreme close-up photos of the Su-27 were later released worldwide. 333 Squadron (always pronounced three-three-three) transitioned to the P-3B from anti-submarine warfareequipped HU-16 Albatross amphibians in 1969. “The Norwegian Air Force had five P-3Bs to start,” notes Berg-Olsen. “With the increase in size in the economic and military

zones, the Air Force bought two more P-3Bs. We sold five of the P-3Bs to S p a i n i n 19 8 9 a n d b o u g ht f o u r P-3Cs. During the Cold War, we flew a lot and had so much activity. Professiona lism, luck, and the saints watching out for us have brought us to close to 150,000 f light hours with no major accidents.” The unit was formed in Scotland in 1942 and assigned to the Royal Air Force Coasta l Command as a Royal Norwegian Air Force squadronin-exile. Flying Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina seaplanes, 333 Squadron crews conducted clandestine missions to occupied Norway to insert radio telegraphers to report on Kriegsmarine ship tra f f ic a long t he coast. As a morale boost to their countrymen, 333 S qu ad ron c re ws wou ld d rop chocolate to the children in some Norwegian villages at Christmas, right under the nose of the Germans. During the 1960s, the squadron was given the radio call sign Saint. The squadron took the nickname Saints, from the Simon Templar character in the books by Leslie Charteris that date from the 1920s. The stick figure of the Saint that appeared on the books, as well as the later movies and television shows, is today painted on the tails of the squadron’s P-3s. The Saints are the only Royal Norwegian Air Force squadron to be in continuous service since World War II.

MORE THAN SUBMARINES Few units are so intertwined with their chief adversary as 333 Squadron, which has the image of a Russian submarine on its unit patch. “It is hard to get away from our heritage,” notes Berg-Olsen. While monitoring the Russian military is a primary focus for the eighty members of 333 Squadron, it is certainly not the only one. “We have a lot of fish and a lot of oil and natural gas in our waters,” BergOlsen continues. “Our two Arctic Ocean fisheries and the Norwegian Economic Zone off the coast are six-and-one-half times the size of the land area of Norway. It is extremely important to us to take care of Norway’s natural resources.” While cod may be getting scarce in other areas, they are plentiful in the Norwegian and Barents seas. Illegal fishing and dumping of fish are serious issues. “We catch people being in violation of fishery laws and regulations all the time, essentially overfishing the area,” adds Schønfeldt. “We support the 12

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Norwegian Coast Guard with track information and visual and photo surveillance, including interpretation of suspicious activity. The coast guard can then go right to a suspect vessel and impound the fish and the boat.” One content ious issue bet ween Norway and Russia involves fish, oil, and natural gas. Norway believes the boundary of its economic zone runs a long t he edge of t he continenta l shelf, which juts into the Barents Sea at roughly a forty-five degree angle from the Norway-Russia border, and then curves back toward Norway. The Russians claim the edge of the zone should run along a north-south line directly up from the common border, which, looking at it on a map, tilts sl ig ht ly to t he r ig ht . T h is la rge , triangular-shaped piece of the sea is called the Grey Zone. “Arctic areas are vulnerable,” says Schønfeldt. “The government of Norway is concerned with the increased transport of oil from the Murmansk area. Fishing and our coastline could be ruined by oil spills.” The Saints and the Norwegian Coast Guard closely monitor all traffic that could pose a hazard to the environment. In addition to its primary missions, 333 Squadron also has NATO commitments. The squadron was part of Active Endeavor in 2005 and 2006 and NATO Response Force 5, 7, and 8 in 2004, 2006, and 2007. “We do our training on the Russians,” Berg-Olsen observes. “When we go on exercises and deployments, we almost have to take a copy of Jane’s [widely known aircraft and ship reference books] with us to become familiar with the allied forces. “During Active Endeavor in ’06, we f lew out of Sigonella [Italy] and f lew thirty-six of thirty-six scheduled missions with one aircraft. Although we did switch out the airplane, crew, and support personnel midway through the deployment, we had never recorded a success like that in this squadron,” notes Berg-Olsen. “We had 60,000 air-tosurface contacts and found more than 9,300 different vessels. We even found a ship full of illegal immigrants.” First Quarter 2008

TAKING CARE “We are not a large organization, so we can send only a limited number of people on deployments,” says Maj. Reider Eigeland, chief of the seventy-person maintenance section at Andøya. “The crews f ly night and day, so we have to have maintainers there to do the work and keep the aircraft flying.” At Andøya, the maintainers are centrally located in two large hangars. One is an indoor wash rack. Although the aircraft get rinsed off every mission, continuous f lying through sea air plus having to land on a sanded-down runway in winter necessitates that the aircraft go through thorough washings every thirty-five days to better prevent corrosion. Three P-3s can fit in the maintenance hangar, which has one large fixed work stand to provide access to the tail. Movable platforms provide access to every area on the aircraft. “In the winter, we do all maintenance in the hangar,” notes Eigeland. “In the summer, we work outside, because the weather is so nice. “Our crew chiefs are not dedicated to any one airframe,” Eigeland adds. “They are the crew chief of whichever aircraft happens to be here at the time. The crew chief is responsible for getting that aircraft ready to f ly again. Our nor ma l work sh i f t is 7:30 i n t he morning to 3:30 in the afternoon, but the crew chief can call in specialists after-hours as needed.” The personnel at Andøya live either on base or in t he nea rby tow n of Andenes (An-den-ness). Many, like Berg-Olsen, were raised in the town or the surrounding area. Despite the harsh winter climate, a large percentage of people assigned to the wing or squadron stay in Andenes. “We have one acou st ic operator, Steinar Braathen, with more than 15,000 f light hours in P-3s,” notes Schønfeldt. “He has been with the squadron since the early 1970s.”

A REVITALIZED FLEET On a mission, 333 Squadron normally flies with a crew of ten—two pilots and one f light engineer on the f light deck plus one tactical coordinator, one navigator, one radar operator, two acoustic system operators, one electronic surveillance measure system operator, and one ordnance specialist for the sonobuoys and weapons in back. “The crews normally f ly ninehour missions in the summer,” says Schønfeldt. “They fly eight-hour missions in the winter. Flying in the dark is more demanding than daylight, and they can come back with more fuel in case they have to divert to a remote base because of weather.” The squadron members are assigned to one of six crews—down from nine at the height of the Cold War—but they are not hard crews. “We pool all the crews,” says Berg-Olsen. “We are such a small squadron that we plug people in where they are needed.” Today, squad ron crew members average 2 , 50 0 to 3,4 0 0 f l ig ht hou rs . T he average used to top 5,000 hours. The squadron’s arsenal consists of Stingray torpedoes and depth charges, but on most missions the crews are armed with only sensors and cameras. A Survival Kit, Air Droppable, or SKAD, is carried in the weapons bay on the missions to aid any seamen in distress the crew may encounter. The kit has two rafts, each able to hold ten people with equipment. Meeting all of the squadron’s varied missions in the near future will be a challenge. “All of our aircraft will be

A Survival Kit, Air Droppable, or SKAD, is carried in the weapons bay on the missions to aid any seamen in distress the crew may encounter. re-winged,” notes Schønfeldt. “Work will start at the beginning of 2009. We are starting with the P-3Ns, and t h e n t h e C h a r l i e s w i l l f o l l o w. Installing the new wings and upg r ad i ng t he a i rcr a f t w i l l t a ke approximately three years.” T h e t wo P-3Ns —n a me d B e r n t Balchen, i n honor of t he fa mous Norwegian polar explorer, and Finn Lambrecht, the first 333 Squadron com ma nder—a re P-3Bs t hat had Norway-specific modifications done in the early 1990s. The P-3N upgrade plan calls for the installation of a new radar, an electronic f light display system, traffic collision avoidance system, satellite communications, a new intercom, autopilot, and other

news systems. “The P-3Ns will be getting a huge improvement in capability,” notes Berg-Olsen. The P-3C aircraft—named Vingtor, Jøssing, Viking, and Ulabrand, all names given to the squadron’s Catalina aircraft in World War II—will a lso receive ma ny of t he sa me upgrades as the P-3Ns, along with a new navigation system and upgraded anti-submarine warfare systems. “The P-3Cs are heavier and twenty years younger than the P-3Ns, but we have been f lying them extensively,” notes Berg-Olsen. “We will have to replace their wings at the same time, but it w i l l be wor t h t he inconvenience. These aircraft should be up until 2025 and beyond. “With only si x aircraf t and one squadron, we can’t be everywhere at one t i me,” obser ves Berg- Olsen. “Whether we are transporting sea eagles to Scotland for resettlement— which we’ve done several times—or monitoring a Typhoon submarine in international waters, it is a matter of prioritization. But this squadron is an extremely important tool for the Norwegian government.” Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One.

Code One

First Quarter 2008

B 5 F-3

T U O S L L RO PHOTO BY K ATSUHIKO TOKUNAGA

Code One

he F-35B Lightning II rolled of f t he product ion line 18 December in Fort Worth, Texas, to the fanfare of cust ome r s f r om t he Un it e d States, United Kingdom, and Italy. The rol lout ma rked t he forma l ha nd i ng over of t he f i r s t shor ttakeoff vertical landing, or STOVL, variant of the F-35 from production to flight testing. “The flexibility the STOVL variant of the F-35 will add to the contemporary Marine Air Ground Task Force is amazing,” said US Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway. “This generational leap in technology will enable the Marines to operate a f leet of fighter/attack aircraft from existing runways, from unimproved surfaces at austere bases, or from the decks of ships. We find that capability extremely valuable.” The Marines will be the primary operator of the F-35B. “The F-35B combines technologies that may seem science fiction, but our talented international team has made science fac t ,” sa id Da n Crowley, L ock heed Ma r t i n exec ut ive v ice president and F-35 program general manager. “Think F/A-18 speed and ma neuverabi l it y, AV-8B for wa rd deployment, F-22 stealth, and astonishing avionics.” The first flight of the F-35B, designed to replace Marine Corps AV-8Bs and LOCKHEED MARTIN PHOTOS

US Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway

F/A-18C/Ds, is planned for 2008. The aircraf t of ten referred to by its production number, BF-1, w i l l f irst undergo a series of ground tests that include fuel system operations, structural coupling, and vibration. The heart of the F-35B is a propulsion system that allows it to execute vertical takeoffs, short takeoffs, and vertical landings as required. The system comprises the most powerful engine ever flown in a jet fighter: a shaftdriven counter-rotating lift fan situated behind the cockpit that provides about half the downward thrust, a roll duct that takes bleed air from the lift fan and directs it under each wing for lateral stability, and a rear three-bearing swivel nozzle that vectors engine exhaust horizontally or vertically in the desired direction. During vertical takeoffs, short takeoffs, and vertical landings, doors above and below the lift fan open while a clutch connecting the lift fan to the engine drive shaft engages. A dorsal auxiliary engine inlet opens to increase airf low to the engine. At the same time, doors beneath the three-bearing swivel nozzle open and the rear nozzle pivots downward to def lect engine thrust toward the ground. The roll ducts also engage to keep the aircraft stable from side to side.

LOCKHEED MARTIN PHOTO

In this configuration, the F-35B can hover, land vertically, take off in a few hundred feet fully loaded, or take off vertically with a light load. When the aircraft transitions from jet-borne to conventional wing-borne f light, the lift fan doors close, the nozzle translates horizontally, and the pilot can then accelerate to supersonic speeds. The system operates completely automatically. The Lockheed Martin X-35B was used to successf u l ly demonstrate the shaft-driven lift fan propulsion system in 2001, becoming the only aircraft in history to execute a short takeoff, level supersonic dash, and vertical landing in a single flight. The Pratt & Whitney F135 engine will power the first series of F-35Bs. The F136, an interchangeable engine u nder development by t he GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team, w i l l m a ke it s f i r s t F-35 f light in 2010. Rolls-Royce produces the shaft-driven lift fa n, t h re e -b e a r i ng swivel nozzle, and roll duct systems. An additional six development STOVL F-35s are now in production around the world. L ong-lead procurement funds for the first six production STOVL aircraft were authorized in 2007. The first Marine Corps training jets are scheduled for delivery in 2011. First Quarter 2008

CLAD IN A PARKA, SNOW PANTS, INSULATED BOOTS, SWEATER, AND THERMAL UNDERWEAR, THE CREW CHIEF STOOD OFF THE NOSE OF THE C- 5M MONITORING THE ENGINE TEST. AS THE NEW 50,000-POUND THRUST CF6 ENGINES ON THE SUPER GALAXY SPOOLED UP, THE POWERPLANTS WHIPPED THE FROST AND SNOW ON THE GROUND INTO A FRENZY AND TURNED THE -25 DEGREE FAHRENHEIT AIR INTO THE HARSHEST OF WINDS. BY JEFF RHODES

RUNNING HOT AND COLD

PHOTOS BY JOHN ROSSINO

fter the aircraft was shut down and secured, the crew chief walked through the heavily insulated door of the hangar and took off his Arctic gear. He then changed into his golf shirt and jeans and walked outside into the balmy breezes and 70 degree temperature of a sunny November afternoon in the Florida panhandle. Temperatures fit for polar bears inside and gators outside are all in a day’s work at the Air Force’s McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin AFB, near Fort Walton Beach, Florida. This test center, conceived during World War II, completed in 1947, and extensively renovated fifty years later, can recreate just about every weather condition on Earth. Nearly every major US weapon system—as well as many new business jets and automobiles—makes the trek to Eg lin to undergo env ironmenta l test ing in the lab. The C-5M, the fully upgraded version of the Air Force’s largest transport, is the latest to be frozen and baked at the lab. “We successfully completed seven unique test events, completing seventy-five test points in fourteen days. The tests covered items such as engine starts and shutdowns, avionics cooling, and environmental control system performance,” notes Bob Russell, the leader of the joint Lockheed Martin-Air Force C-5M climatic chamber test team. “Although the cold weather tests, which went down 18

Code One

to -40 degrees, were the higher priority, they were also the higher risk. So we began with the hot weather tests.” The lab’s main test chamber—essentially a giant thermos bottle—stands 252 feet long, by 260 feet wide, by seventy feet high. But squeezing the C-5M in took some effort, just as it had in the late 1960s when the chamber had to be expanded to accommodate the C-5A. The C-5M had to be knelt for the top of the horizontal tail to clear the supports for ceiling and then raised once it was in position. The tip of the aircraft’s nose was only about six feet from the hangar door. As one of the objectives was to test the C-5M’s new engines and auxiliary power units, or APUs, in temperature extremes, elaborate ducting had be built to allow exhaust to escape the chamber. A restraint system was developed by the laboratory staff to prevent excessive movement of the wings during engine testing. These rigs, which were attached to engine numbers one and four, were required to maintain engine exhaust f low in the ducting. The McKinley Laboratory has an elaborate system that replaces hot or cold air on a real-time basis, as hot outside air f lowing into the chamber during a cold weather engine run would obviously affect the results. Likewise, the fuel for those engines has to be warmed or cooled. Because of the time required to cool or warm the chamber, any required maintenance has to be done in whatever the ambient temperature is—just like it would at any real-world site. Each of the aircraft systems being tested, such as the APUs, electrical system, or propulsion, had an engineer monitoring it on a computer workstation in a control room upstairs. The maintenance and instrumentation teams were on the f loor with the aircraft in climate-

controlled booths. The laboratory has a facility maintenance team on the floor as well. The aircraft mechanics rotated between going out to the aircraft and cooling down or warming up in the booth. Although some C-5M hot weather testing had previously been completed at MCAS Yuma, Arizona, and at t he A ir Force Flig ht Test Center at Edwa rds A FB, California, the test team took the C-5M—one of the three aircraft in the Super Galaxy test program—up to 140 degrees above zero using huge banks of thermal lights to conduct aircraft preconditioning, APU starting, and engine runs. The skin temperature on the aircraft reached a sizzling 165 degrees Fahrenheit in these tests. The chamber was then brought down to -25 degrees over several days, and the aircraft was cold-soaked, or essentially left to freeze, for a day. “As part of this test, we wanted to use the new APUs to get the temperature as warm as possible in the troop compartment,” said Larry Frias, the team’s f light engineer. “We got it up to 78 degrees above zero.” The twin APUs on the Super Galaxy are some of the more than seventy reliability enhancements made to the C-5M. “The C-5M Climatic Lab testing was highly successful. We met all our objectives, and we showed that the improvements made to the C-5 improve the operational capabilities of the aircraft,” Russell concludes. “Computers can predict what will happen to an aircraft in extreme temperatures, but we need to actually conduct these tests to make sure the aircraft systems perform to specification and are not impacted by weather extremes. Any issues we found on the C-5M, we are addressing by changing the tech orders.” Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One.

First Quarter 2008

BY JEFF RHODES

MAINTENANCE IN THE SHADOW OF THE VIKING

“The depot was overloaded, and we had a backlog of S-3s that were not flying,” says Capt. Evan Piritz, commander of Sea Control Wing US Atlantic Fleet, the US Navy’s remaining S-3 Viking wing. “The Integrated Maintenance Program changed the way depot-level maintenance was done. The program got aircraft out of maintenance and back into service quickly. It was a com- Capt. Evan Piritz plete success.” The S-3 Integrated Maintenance Program, or IMP, came to a conclusion on 1 November 2007, as workers completed the last phased maintenance inspection of a multimission Viking aircraft at NAS Jacksonville, Florida. PHOTOS BY JOHN ROSSINO

IMP was a groundbreaking effort of Lockheed Martin, the US Navy and subcontractors LSI and American Valley Aviation, and the US Navy. Under IMP, contractor and service personnel worked side by side to perform scheduled depot inspections and repairs on the S-3s to return the Vikings rapidly to the operational fleet. “Rather than fly an S-3 to the depot, the required maintenance was performed in the shadow of the aircraft at the home station,” notes Cmdr. John Sutherland, the maintenance officer for Sea Control Wing Atlantic. “The aircraft remained on hand, and the units maintained a pride of ownership. An aircraft away at a depot is out of sight and out of mind. It was just not the best way to do business.” 20

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The program began in 2001 primarily as a means of reducing the backlog at the Naval Aviation depots. At the depots, a Viking could be out of service for more than nine months every six years as it went through a full teardown and re-assembly. IMP divided the required inspections and maintenance tasks into three forty-eight-day phases spread across five years. During each of the phases, specific areas of the aircraft were inspected and necessary repairs completed. The work got down to the level of inspecting and repairing the springloaded doors covering the handholds and footholds built into the aircraft’s fuselage. These holds allow maintainers to climb up and check the top of the aircraft. First Quarter 2008

“In Phase 1, we remove the vertical tail and horizontal stabilizer from the aircraft as well as all the flight control surfaces. We also inspect the rear spars,” notes Harold Roldan-Lemus, a Lockheed Martin maintenance controller at NAS Jacksonville. In Phase 2, the aircraft is put on jacks, and the landing gear, tailhook, flaps, and weapons bay doors are removed. The wings from the wing fold mechanism to the wing box and the aircraft’s hydraulic plumbing are thoroughly inspected as well. “We do a lot of nondestructive inspections on the aircraft,” adds Roldan-Lemus, who is also one of four technicians to be with the program since the beginning. “For example, we X-ray some critical parts and perform eddy current inspections on others.” Phase 3 is a full external inspection of the aircraft. The exterior paint on the S-3 is stripped, and the outer wings, spoilers, and speed brakes are removed. The f light control system computer is also inspected. “A number of minor repairs are usually needed on the bell cranks and rollers because they wear from constant moving during operation,” Roldan-Lemus adds. “We check the bushings and bearings on the wings and reinstall them. We make sure everything on the aircraft works properly before it is released back to the unit.” The partnership between Lockheed Martin and the Navy made IMP unique. When a Viking squadron would go to sea, a number of the unit’s maintainers remained at the home station to work on the IMP line. 22

Code One

“We worked side by side with Lockheed Martin,” notes Senior Chief Nestor Bautista, the last Navy on-site IMP lead. “The Lockheed Martin technicians would make the needed repairs, and our maintainers would perform some of the inspections. The Navy mechanics would reinstall the parts, rig the aircraft, and put it back together. How much work we did would depend on which phase inspection was being done. We worked as one big team. Whatever they needed, we’d help, and vice versa. “Most of the work we did here we don’t do at the squadron level, so we had a lot of opportunities for crosstraining,” adds Bautista. “Our people left here knowing a lot more about aircraft maintenance than they did coming in.” The program worked. IMP increased S-3 aircraft operational availability by fifty-three percent and reduced maintenance tasking by forty-seven percent over the previous scheduled depot-level maintenance plan. IMP also resulted in significantly reduced costs to the Navy. At its peak, the contractor team of approximately thirtyfive people and their Navy counterparts cycled up to twenty-five aircraft through the program per year. As the program wound down in 2007, a total of twelve aircraft were inspected. The last of the 149 aircraft processed through the IMP inspections was delivered nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, continuing a streak of 109 consecutive on-time or ahead-of-schedule deliveries back to the Navy. Although the Integrated Maintenance Program is completed, Lockheed Martin’s Prime Vendor Support, or PVS, program will continue to provide vital engineering and logistics support to the three remaining S-3 squadrons until the Vikings are retired from Navy service early next year. “The S-3 is scheduled to be decommissioned in February 2009,” notes Piritz. “The aircraft will be retired to AMARC [the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona] in preservation status. But we know the Vikings have significant service life left in them, and there are a lot of options.” Several international countries have expressed an interest in operating the aircraft. The US Forest Service, US Coast Guard, and the National Guard have also expressed interest in operating the S-3 for their various missions. Piritz concludes, “The next half of the S-3’s life is still to be determined.” Jeff Rhodes is the associate editor of Code One.

First Quarter 2008

ART of the

F-35

AUSTR A LIA

The F-35 Lightning II Arrives Down Under By David Marshall

A pair of Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters split over the city of Sydney to celebrate their arrival. Beneath them lies the Sydney Opera House and the busy Circular Quay, Sydney’s transport hub.

CA NA DA

LIGHTNING II

Lions At The Gate By Robert Lundquist

Two Canadian F-35A Lightning II fighters head out for shoreline patrol passing over Vancouver, British Columbia. Stanley Park, Lions Gate Bridge, and the North Shore appear below. In the distance are the world-renowned coastal mountains.

Lockheed M artin unveiled original works of art at the 2007 Paris Air Show along with artists representing the nine participating countries in the F-35 Lightning II progr am. “Artistry In The Skies: F-35 Lightning II On Exhibit” captures the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in most notable and cultur ally important destinations found in each of those countries. The collection symbolizes the multinational dimension of the progr am. Nine nations are partnering in the F-35’s current system development and demonstr ation phase: the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, Netherlands, Turkey, Canada, Denmark, Norway, and Austr alia. Partnership in this phase entitles those countries to bid for work on a best-value basis and participate in the aircr aft’s development. 24

Code One

DENMARK

Saluting Kronborg Castle

By Johannes Møller

Five F-35A Lightning II fighters from Denmark fly over Kronborg Castle, one of northern Europe’s most important Renaissance landmarks. The imposing structure itself is displayed on the aircrafts’ starboard side. For more than 400 years, the expression “Kronborg on starboard” has signified that ships and sailors have returned home after a long voyage at sea.

First Quarter 2008

TURKEY

ITA LY

JSF: A Bridge To Peace

Lightnings At Sunset

By Mustafa Orkun Müftüoglu

By Roberto Zanella

A Turkish F-35A soars above the Bosporus at Istanbul, Turkey. The bridge connects the continents of Europe and Asia and symbolizes peace and global development. Doves flying freely symbolize peace and cooperation.

A pair of Italian F-35s glide easily in full afterburner while a quiet sunset settles on a Venice lagoon. As the Italian Air Force F-35A holds station, the Navy F-35B pulls up, and both head back home after an over-water training mission.

NETHERLANDS

UNITED KINGDOM

Defense For The Defender

Lightning In The Channel

A Dutch F-35A Lightning II flies over Delta Works as the HS MS Tromp, the newest and most modern Dutch Navy ship, enters the harbor just below. Delta Works, a number of constructions completed in 1997 in the southwest of the Netherlands, protect the nearby landmass from the sea.

An F-35B STOVL aircraft goes into vertical lift mode near the Royal Air Force CVF Future Carrier, the proposed operating platform for the F-35. The white cliffs, known as the Seven Sisters, form the setting. The South Downs meet the Sussex Coast of England at these cliffs.

By Alex Hamilton

By Henk Uitslag

UNITED STATES

The Power Of Freedom N O RWAY

Northern Lightning By Mark Postlethwaite

The midnight sun illuminates two F-35A Lightning IIs of the Royal Norwegian Air Force as they fly low over the distinctive northern Norwegian coastal landscape between Bodo and Tromso.

Code One

By Jim Laurier

Lady Liberty watches over Lockheed Martin’s new F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighters at day’s end as they launch and recover on the deck of a US Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in New York Harbor. A US Navy F-35C catapults off the starboard launch rail as a US Marine Corps F-35B lands vertically on the port side of the fore deck. A US Air Force F-35A passes overhead during deck operations. The Hudson River, center background, separates Jersey City and New York City. First Quarter 2008

EVENTS

C-130Js For Canada

Last S-3 Deployment Ends

The government of Canada signed a contract in January to buy seventeen C-130J Super Hercules airlifters and related equipment and services. The contract is valued at $1.4 billion. The C-130Js— to be delivered to the Canadian Forces beginning in 2010—are the long-fuselage variant of the Super Hercules, similar to the C-130Js being delivered to the US Air Force. A clause in the contract calls for the establishment of a twenty-year in-service support program for the new fleet utilizing Canadian subcontractors. Lockheed Martin made four regional supplier announcements in Canada in late January. Suppliers selected thus far total approximately sixty percent of the industrial offset obligation required under the contract.

The Maulers of Sea Control Squadron 32 (VS-32) ended the final carrier deployment for the S-3 Viking as the squadron returned to NAS Jacksonville, Florida, on 15 December. Although an Atlantic Fleet squadron, VS-32 completed the last deployment aboard the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) in the western Pacific. VS-32 conducted its sunset cruise as a component of Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1). The unit supported ground forces in Afghanistan and Iraq by conducting maritime security operations. During the deployment, Mauler aviators flew 960 sorties totaling more than 2,200 flight hours. The squadron was at sea for 180 days, with only thirteen days in ports. VS-32 is scheduled for disestablishment later this year.

Raptor Fully Operational

PHOTO BY JOHN ROSSINO

On The Ramp At Ramstein

US Air Force Gen. John D. W. Corley, commander of Air Combat Command, declared on 12 December that the F-22 Raptor had reached full operational capability. The announcement means the integrated active duty 1st Fighter Wing and Air National Guard 192nd Fighter Wing team at Langley AFB, Virginia, possesses sufficient Raptors, equipment, and trained Airmen to be combat capable and deployable. The 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley was the first squadron to become operational with the F-22. Since the initial operational capability announcement in 2005, Raptors have been delivered to three additional squadrons, one Air National Guard Associate unit, and one Air Force Reserve Associate unit.

Blue Suit Lightning Pilot

Airmen from the 37th Airlift Squadron at Ramstein AB, Germany, got a glimpse of their future on 9 November as a C-130J from the 143rd Airlift Wing, the Air National Guard unit at Quonset State Airport near Providence, Rhode Island, deployed to their base. At the same time, the local Kaiserslautern Combined Noise Abatement Committee watched the C-130J crew take off, land, and taxi around the Ramstein flight line. The group was impressed with the reduced noise of the new aircraft. The 37th currently flies seventeen 1960svintage C-130Es, all of which will remain in operation until they are replaced by C-130Js beginning in 2009. Ramstein is under the command of US Air Forces in Europe.

PHOTO BY MCSS MICHAEL BANZHAF

Raptor Intercepts Bear Two Russian Tu-95 Bear-H bomber crews flying close to the US coastline on 22 November were intercepted and escorted by two F-22 pilots from the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf AFB, Alaska. This operational intercept is the first in Raptor history. The Alaskan North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, Regional headquarters launched the Raptors as well as E-3 airborne warning and control assets and a tanker to positively identify and monitor the bombers. Russian President Vladimir Putin resumed regular long-range bomber patrols by the Russian Air Force to the US and European coastlines in 2007, a practice that had been discontinued for nearly a decade.

Final 1K Bandit

PHOTO BY A1C JOHN STRONG

Lt. Col. Kenneth Tatum, commander of the 9th Fighter Squadron at Holloman AFB, New Mexico, became the final pilot to achieve 1,000 flying hours in the F-117 Nighthawk. He is the twenty-seventh F-117 pilot to reach the 1,000-hour mark. During the 7 December flight, Tatum was joined by three other 1,000-hour F-117 pilots. Upon landing, he was presented with a crystal Nighthawk statue by Brig. Gen. David Goldfein, 49th Fighter Wing commander. The F-117 is scheduled for retirement this April. The 49th FW will begin conversion to the F-22 later this year.

Flying In Ice

LOCKHEED MARTIN PHOTO

Test pilot Lt. Col. James Kromberg became the first military pilot to fly the F-35 Lightning II on 30 January. Kromberg is the director of operations of the 461st Flight Test Squadron at the Air Force Flight Test Center at Edwards AFB, California. He took off from the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, flew the aircraft to 6,000 feet, and checked handling qualities at 15 degrees angle of attack. He then topped out at 12,000 feet to assess the F-35’s up-and-away flight-control response, engine per formance, and formation-flying characteristics. Flight testing of AA-1, the designation for the first test aircraft, resumed on 7 December after a period of troubleshooting and planned ground tests. PHOTO BY A1C KENNY HOLSTON

Code One

NASA PHOTO

The first S-3 Viking modified for research was delivered to the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, on 23 January after a two-year modification program in which Navy communication, navigation, and surveillance equipment was replaced or enhanced to provide increased compatibility with current and future airspace requirements. In addition to those modifications, research

equipment racks were installed in what had been one of the S-3’s weapon bays. The revamped S-3, while capable of a variety of science missions, will begin its second life with icing research flights. Initial tests are expected to originate in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, where scientists will seek to characterize the icing conditions that exist in the tropical convective layer of the atmosphere.

First Quarter 2008

EVENTS

F136 Testing At Arnold

AEDC PHOTO

Falling Leaflets

Brrrr

More than one million leaflets were pushed out of a 40th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-130 Hercules in late November over ten designated drop zones in Iraq. The leaflets urged local citizens to provide information on three top leaders of an armed insurgent militia. The leaders are wanted for using improvised explosive devices and conducting sniper attacks on US and coalition forces.

An F-22 Raptor f r om t he Air For ce F lig ht Te s t Center at Edwards AFB, California, was flown to Eielson AFB, Alaska, for three weeks in November to test the aircraft’s braking and anti-skid systems on ice. The tests validated the F-22 braking system’s stability and performance as well as the aircraft’s cold-weather operations and maintenance procedures. Tests started with basic ground maneuvering on an icy surface and progressed to high-speed braking tests. Eventually, the tests involved both real and aborted takeoffs and landings under icy runway conditions. Eielson provided the test team the ambient temperatures required to freeze water to create a test surface.

Initial testing of the GE Rolls-Royce Fighter Engine Team F136 alternate engine for the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter began in November at the US Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee. Engine and afterburner performance and operability tests were conducted at a variety of simulated altitudes and Mach speeds. Arnold has also conducted tests on the Pratt & Whitney F135 engine, which is the sole powerplant for the F-35 until 2011 or 2012 when the F136 engine will be available. Three System Development and Demonstration, or SDD, F136 engines are slated for further development and qualification testing at Arnold between 2009 and 2013.

Hauling Helicopters A team of ten maintenance personnel from the 352nd Maintenance Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, United Kingdom, loaded two retired MH-53M Pave Low IV helicopters onto a C-5 Galaxy in late October. The helicopters were bound for the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. All five MH-53Ms from the 21st Special Operations Squadron at Mildenhall will be retired to the Arizona Boneyard. The C-5 crew was from the 60th Air Mobility Wing at Travis AFB, California.

Training Wing

PHOTO BY KEVIN ROBERTSON

PHOTO BY TSGT. TRACY L. DeMARCO

Green Raptor Pilots Four first lieutenants currently assigned to Luke AFB, Arizona, have been selected as the first pilots to go directly from advanced fighter training to flying the F-22. Until now, only experienced F-15 or F-16 pilots have converted to the Raptor. First lieutenants Austin Skelley, Ryan Shelhorse, Marcus McGinn, and Dan Dickinson have completed the fighter fundamentals at Randolph AFB, Texas, and are undergoing further advanced flight training in two-seat F-16s at Luke. In March, the quartet will transfer to the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall AFB, Florida, where they will begin Raptor training.

PHOTO BY SSGT. ANGELIQUE PEREZ

Bridge Memorial M o r e t ha n 10 0 p e o p l e attended the grand opening of an overpass at Luke AFB, Arizona, on 25 Januar y, dedicated to Maj. Troy L. Gilbert, a Luke pilot who was killed in Iraq the same month construction began on the overpass. Gilbert was killed when his F-16 Fighting Falcon crashed on 27 November 2006 while he was providing close-air support to Special Operations forces about for ty miles nor th of Baghdad. While at Luke, Gilbert was the 56th Fighter Wing flying executive officer. He flew with the 309th Fighter Squadron.

PHOTO BY TSGT. R AHEEM MOORE

Operation Toy Drop PHOTO BY SUE SAPP

Units at Robins AFB, Georgia, joined forces in December to help the 373rd Training Squadron Field Training Detachment obtain a C-130 Hercules wing so students of the school could have handson training on an actual wing. The wing, which came from a condemned C-130 found at the Robins mock deployed environment, was modified by members of the 653rd Combat Logistics Support Squadron so it could be used by the training program. With the wing, instructors can demonstrate fuel system repairs or modifications and allow students to conduct repair procedures on actual hardware.

Code One

PHOTO BY SSGT. BRYAN FRANKS

PHOTO BY LT. COL. ANN PERU KNABE

More than 1,000 soldiers and airmen participated in the annual Randy Oler Operation Toy Drop on 8 December at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to earn their international jump wings. Participants, who included jumpmasters from Canada, Chile, Germany, and Ireland this year, can jump only after donating a toy for charity. Operation Toy Drop, now celebrating its tenth year, trains allied jumpmasters to work with US paratroopers. The jump mission is named in memory of Army Sgt. Randy Oler, who founded the original toy drop. The airlift was provided by Air Force Reserve Command’s 95th Airlift Squadron, a C-130H unit based at Pope AFB, North Carolina.

First Quarter 2008