Air Force F-35A ‘Frankenjet' returns to the skies
An F-35A Lightning II fighter jet comprised of parts from two separate F-35A jets is returning to full service after a years-long repair, according to the F-35 Joint Program Office.
The office concocted the 'Frankenjet' — which features the nose of the AF-27 grafted onto the AF-211 — to maximize taxpayer dollars and resurrect an extra operational aircraft, a release from the office said.
'The scope and complexity of this project was an exemplary demonstration of overcoming barriers and achieving a greater tier of major aircraft repair capability for an advanced tactical fighter,' said Tomas Barber, an F-35 Joint Program Office major mishap repair team engineer, in the release.
The tinkering began in 2022 when the F-35 Joint Program Office collaborated with Lockheed Martin and the 388th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group to salvage two damaged jets. The AF-27 experienced an engine fire in 2014 at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, while the AF-211 had a nose landing gear malfunction in 2020.
F-35s to get new capabilities with summer software update
Altogether, restoration took over two years and cost $11.7 million, nearly $3 million less than the expected amount. The rejiggering of parts saved the Defense Department $63 million, according to the release.
The 'Frankenjet' flew out of Hill Air Force Base, Utah, for the first time on Jan. 24 on a trip to Lockheed Martin's facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where it underwent final maintenance. It officially returned to full service on March 26 and is currently assigned to the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron, 388th Fighter Wing.
'A testament to the process developed here is that the rebuilt aircraft's first flight was flown to the edges of the performance envelope, and it performed like it was fresh from the initial production line,' said Jeffrey Jensen, the F-35A variant lead.
Hill Air Force Base, where the jet's rejuvenation process took place, has become a body shop for mangled jets, using the parts to train airmen and, when possible, giving the jets a second life through repairs.
In 2020, mechanics at Hill reattached the wings of a damaged F-35A Lightning II — a feat completed with little precedent to rely on — and used its fuselage to train F-35 crew chiefs and maintainers in repairing combat damage, Military Times previously reported.
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