USAF Combing Two Damaged F-35s To Make 'Franken-Bird'
© JOEL SAGET
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The F-35 project has been a boondoggle for the US government since its inception. Now estimated to cost $1.7 trillion, it is over budget and behind schedule. There have also been safety issues with its design, software and questions about how it will perform in military missions.
The US Air Force (USAF) and Lockheed Martin are attempting to combine two damaged F-35 Joint Strike Fighters into one plane that can fly in a project that has been dubbed “Franken-bird.”
Both planes were damaged in separate incidents, one with the tail number AF-211 damaged its nose beyond repair after a failure of its forward landing gear. The other, with tail number AF-27, was damaged in a severe engine fire but its nose was recoverable.
The Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Procurement Office (JPO) said that the office is constantly looking for new parts but this will be its first attempt to create a new plane out of parts of two damaged planes.
“Not only will this project return a combat asset back to the war fighter, but it opens the door for repairing future mishap aircraft using tooling, equipment, techniques and knowledge that has been developed,” says Dan Santos, the heavy maintenance manager for the JPO said.
The hope is that the Franken-bird will be completed by March 2025.
“The F-35 program is still young compared to all legacy airframes,” says Dave Myers, lead engineer for the JPO’s support team. “We are doing this for the first time, and organizationally for the future, we are creating a process we can move forward with.”
Scott Taylor, the lead mechanical engineer on the Franken-bird project for Lockheed Martin said that the procedures and tools being developed could be utilized in normal maintenance operations.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” Taylor adds. “This is the first F-35 Franken-bird to date.”
The USAF added that specialized tools, fixtures and equipment have been developed that will allow F-35s to be repaired overseas. "We’ve designed versatile tooling that fits neatly into a [container] box, making it transportable to various locations, including forward operation areas,” Taylor said.
Eight NATO countries and five non-NATO partners have contracts for F-35 Jets. Each plane costs an estimated $110.3 to $135.8 million, not including operating and maintenance.
