Latest news with #AF-27
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Frankenjet': This F-35A Lightning II made from two damaged aircraft just returned to Utah's Air Force base
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah (ABC4) — The F-35A Lightning II, also known as 'Frankenjet' due to its construction from two separate, damaged aircraft, has returned home to Utah's Hill Air Force Base. Frankenjet is one of its kind — piecing together an AF-211 that was damaged in a nose-gear collapse at Hill AFB in 2020 and an AF-27 that was damaged in an engine fire at Florida's Eglin AFB in 2014. And the Frankenjet is fully operational, now back at the Air Force's largest combat-coded F-35A wing at Hill Air Force Base. 'The Frankenjet is back,' Hill Air Force Base's 388th Fighter Wing posted on Instagram. 'After completing final maintenance in Fort Worth, Texas, this one-of-a-kind jet is now back where it belongs.' Minecraft 'Chicken Jockey' trend hits Utah theaters, movie-goer kicked out after bringing live chicken The project was a joint effort by the F-35 Joint Program Office, Ogden Air Logistics Complex, and 388th Fighter Wing and Lockheed Martin, requiring unique tooling and equipment to merge the two aircraft. The construction was originally done at Ogden Air Logistics before it was brought back to Hill AFB. Their work is considered to be pioneering for potential aircraft battle damage repair. The assigned team rebuilt the cockpit, rewired the aircraft, re-installed landing gear with the proper center of gravity, among other tasks that aren't typically seen in flight line maintenance shops, according to the 388th Fighter Wing Public Affairs office. 'When we received the aircraft, it was pretty much a shell,' said Senior Airman Jaguar Arnold, the aircraft's crew chief from the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron, where the aircraft was hangared in 2024. 'There were a lot of tasks to complete that we hadn't done before at the unit level.' 'When we took responsibility for this project, we were taking on something unprecedented at the field level and it wasn't easy. That can't be overstated.' said 1st Lt. Ryan Bare, Sortie Generation Flight commander for the 4th FGS. 'But, we were also taking on an opportunity for our maintainers to gain proficiency in this type of work and build experience at the unit level. As a program, and as a unit, we've benefited greatly from this.' The Airmen involved worked on so many first-time tasks that the information will be used to update data used by all F-35 maintainers for installing and inspecting new components. As for this project, the effort saved a reported $63 million, with the project costing $11.7 million — while a new F-35A costs more than $80 million. Now operational with combat status, the Frankenjet will be flown by Utah's 4th Fighter Squadron. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
‘Frankenjet' stealth fighter made from two wrecked warplanes joins US Air Force fleet
The US Air Force calls it the 'Frankenjet,' a stealth fighter stitched together from the parts of two F-35s wrecked in accidents that is now on duty and combat ready. ''Frankenjet'' is fully operational and ready to support the warfighter,' a report from the military's F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said on Wednesday. The recycled warplane traces its origins to 2014, when an F-35A about to take off on a training mission from Florida's Eglin Air Force Base suffered 'catastrophic engine failure,' according to an Air Force report on the incident. The aircraft, known as AF-27, also sustained major damage to its rear. Pieces of a fractured engine rotor arm 'cut through the engine's fan case, the engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the aircraft's upper fuselage,' an investigation concluded. The resulting fire burned the rear two thirds of the fighter jet, it said. Then on June 8, 2020, the nose landing gear on another F-35A, known as AF-211, failed on landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, resulting in severe damage to that warplane, according to reports on the incident. So, the Air Force was left with two useable pieces of $75 million fighter jets – the nose of AF-27 and the rear of AF-211. 'Rather than writing off both jets as a loss … teams made a bold decision in 2022 to remove the nose from AF-27 and put it onto AF-211 to maximize savings and add back an operational aircraft to the fleet,' a report from the F-35 JPO said. Scott Taylor, lead mechanical engineer for manufacturer Lockheed Martin, put the effort in perspective in a 2023 news release. 'All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it's just never been done before,' Taylor said. 'This is the first F-35 'Frankin-bird' to date. This is history.' The work was done at Hill AFB, with 'entirely new, unique specialized tooling, fixtures, and equipment,' the 2023 Air Force press release said. Almost two and a half years of repairs paid off in January, when the Frankenjet flew for the first time, from Hill AFB to Lockheed Martin's F-35 facility in Fort Worth, Texas. '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,' Jeffrey Jensen, the F-35A variant lead engineer, said in a press release. Late last month, Frankenjet was flown back to Hill AFB and assigned to the 338th Fighter Wing, the same unit AF-211 had originally belonged to. The military statement put the cost of the Frankenjet project at $11.7 million, saying it saved the Pentagon and taxpayers $63 million over the cost of a new replacement aircraft. The US Air Force has 383 F-35As in its fleet, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The F-35A is one of the three versions of the US military's stealth fighter. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B – a short take-off, vertical landing aircraft – and the Navy flies the F-35C, designed for aircraft carrier operations. F-35s have also become a popular choice for US allies and partners, with 17 other countries either flying or acquiring the jets, according to Lockheed Martin.
CNN
10-04-2025
- General
- CNN
‘Frankenjet' stealth fighter made from two wrecked warplanes joins US Air Force fleet
The US Air Force calls it the 'Frankenjet,' a stealth fighter stitched together from the parts of two F-35s wrecked in accidents that is now on duty and combat ready. ''Frankenjet'' is fully operational and ready to support the warfighter,' a report from the military's F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) said on Wednesday. The recycled warplane traces its origins to 2014, when an F-35A about to take off on a training mission from Florida's Eglin Air Force Base suffered 'catastrophic engine failure,' according to an Air Force report on the incident. The aircraft, known as AF-27, also sustained major damage to its rear. Pieces of a fractured engine rotor arm 'cut through the engine's fan case, the engine bay, an internal fuel tank, and hydraulic and fuel lines before exiting through the aircraft's upper fuselage,' an investigation concluded. The resulting fire burned the rear two thirds of the fighter jet, it said. Then on June 8, 2020, the nose landing gear on another F-35A, known as AF-211, failed on landing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, resulting in severe damage to that warplane, according to reports on the incident. So, the Air Force was left with two useable pieces of $75 million fighter jets – the nose of AF-27 and the rear of AF-211. 'Rather than writing off both jets as a loss … teams made a bold decision in 2022 to remove the nose from AF-27 and put it onto AF-211 to maximize savings and add back an operational aircraft to the fleet,' a report from the F-35 JPO said. Scott Taylor, lead mechanical engineer for manufacturer Lockheed Martin, put the effort in perspective in a 2023 news release. 'All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it's just never been done before,' Taylor said. 'This is the first F-35 'Frankin-bird' to date. This is history.' The work was done at Hill AFB, with 'entirely new, unique specialized tooling, fixtures, and equipment,' the 2023 Air Force press release said. Almost two and a half years of repairs paid off in January, when the Frankenjet flew for the first time, from Hill AFB to Lockheed Martin's F-35 facility in Fort Worth, Texas. '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,' Jeffrey Jensen, the F-35A variant lead engineer, said in a press release. Late last month, Frankenjet was flown back to Hill AFB and assigned to the 338th Fighter Wing, the same unit AF-211 had originally belonged to. The military statement put the cost of the Frankenjet project at $11.7 million, saying it saved the Pentagon and taxpayers $63 million over the cost of a new replacement aircraft. The US Air Force has 383 F-35As in its fleet, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The F-35A is one of the three versions of the US military's stealth fighter. The Marine Corps flies the F-35B – a short take-off, vertical landing aircraft – and the Navy flies the F-35C, designed for aircraft carrier operations. F-35s have also become a popular choice for US allies and partners, with 17 other countries either flying or acquiring the jets, according to Lockheed Martin.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
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.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
See the US Air Force's 'Franken-bird' F-35 made from wrecked stealth fighters take its first flight
A salvaged F-35 fighter made from two wrecked aircraft is set to return to the US Air Force's fleet. The restoration began in 2023. The jet took its maiden flight in January less than two years later. The "Franken-bird" cost about $6 million to repair, whereas a new F-35 costs over $80 million. A one-of-a-kind F-35 stealth fighter built from two wrecked aircraft is set to make an unprecedented return to the US Air Force's operational fleet. The so-called "Franken-bird" was restored through a collaboration between airmen from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, the F-35A Lightning II Joint Program Office, and Lockheed Martin. The F-35 JPO first assessed the feasibility of the restoration project in January 2020, and work on a pieced-together stealth fighter began in late 2023 at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex. "All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it's just never been done before," Scott Taylor, Lockheed Martin's lead mechanical engineer on the project, said in a press release announcing the project in 2023. "This is the first F-35 'Frankin-bird' to date. This is history." Less than two years later, the "Franken-bird" jet made its maiden flight on January 16. Following the successful functional check flight, the salvaged F-35 is set to undergo final tests and work before returning to combat status. Scrap to salvage In 2014, an F-35, tail number AF-27, was severely damaged at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida after an engine fire burned the rear two-thirds of the aircraft. The cost of damage was estimated to be over $50 million, according to the Air Education and Training Command. The airframe was recycled as a damage and repair trainer for maintenance crews In 2020, a landing gear malfunction caused an F-35, tail number AF-211, to crash, severely damaging its nose. The damaged airframe and its engine were preserved at Hill Air Force Base in Utah since the landing gear collapse. Dave Myers, the lead engineer at the F-35 Joint Program Office Lightning Support Team, told Air & Space Forces Magazine that there was "no degradation" to the airframes, so splicing them together into the "Franken-bird" wouldn't impact its capabilities. The first 'Franken-bird' Hangared in the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron, maintainers created unique tools and equipment to support and join the nose section of the AF-27 and the rear section of the AF-211 since it was the first attempt at the ambitious repair job. "When we received the aircraft, it was pretty much a shell," Senior Airman Jaguar Arnold, the aircraft's crew chief from the 4th FGS, said in a statement released last month. "There were a lot of tasks to complete that we hadn't done before at the unit level." The repair process also incorporated some technical updates and new components, including reinforcement structures on its outer shell. Technicians reinstalled the landing gear, rewired the avionics systems, and rebuilt the cockpit. "The F-35 program is still young compared to all legacy airframes," Myers said. "We are doing this for the first time, and organizationally for the future, we are creating a process we can move forward with." A $6 million refurbished aircraft The resounding success of the F-35 restoration efforts provided valuable technical experience for maintainers to improve installation and inspection processes. "When we took responsibility for this project, we were taking on something unprecedented at the field level, and it wasn't easy," 1st Lt. Ryan Bare, Sortie Generation Flight commander for the 4th FGS, said. "That can't be overstated." "But we were also taking on an opportunity for our maintainers to gain proficiency in this type of work and build experience at the unit level," Bare added. "As a program, and as a unit, we've benefited greatly from this." The "Franken-bird" also had the added benefit of growing the Air Force's operational fleet — at a fraction of the cost. The aircraft restoration project cost an estimated $6 million, whereas a new F-35 jet costs over $80 million. While the F-35 is the Defense Department's most advanced and costliest weapon system, Congress has questioned whether the stealth fighter's capabilities justify its steep price tag, especially as the program continues to be plagued by cost overruns, production delays, and maintenance and performance issues. The DoD extended the F-35's projected operational life from 2077 to 2088, prompting the total estimated cost of the program to exceed $2 trillion. The US military operates about 630 F-35 variants with plans to procure over 1,800 more jets for the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy by the mid-2040s. Return to the fleet After the "Franken-bird" completed its functional check flights in January, the aircraft was transported to a Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, where it will complete final certifications to restore its combat-ready status. The section behind the jet's nose, which is only covered with anti-corrosion primer, will also be finished by applying low-observable materials. The aircraft is set to return to combat status with the 4th Fighter Squadron around March, though it could be fully operational well before then, according to Dan Santos, the F-35 JPO heavy maintenance manager. "Not only will this project return a combat asset back to the warfighter," Santos said in a 2023 statement, "but it opens the door for repairing future mishap aircraft using tooling, equipment, techniques, and knowledge that has been developed." Read the original article on Business Insider
