Latest news with #Frankenjet
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The US and South Korea just rewrote the rulebook on salvaging a downed F-35
A South Korean F-35A that crash-landed in 2022 has been revived thanks to an intriguing new procedure. Engineers removed and reattached its wings so it could be moved to a maintenance site. This operation is now part of the F-35 program's standard maintenance protocols. An F-35A stealth fighter jet that crash-landed on its belly in 2022 has been given a new lease of life thanks to a dramatic operation to remove and then reattach its wings. The South Korean air force aircraft made headlines three years ago after a catastrophic mid-flight bird strike caused an F-35 pilot to make a "belly landing," or gear-up landing, at Seosan Air Base, near the country's eastern coast. The South Korean pilot walked away from the high-risk maneuver unharmed, but the damage left the Lockheed Martin fifth-generation fighter unfit for service. Local media reported a year after the bird-strike incident that South Korea was considering dumping the fighter after estimated repair costs to get the jet flying again following its unfortunate run-in with an eagle could be almost the price of a new F-35. According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, a new plan was then devised with South Korea's air force to repurpose the jet as a training platform at the country's dedicated F-35 maintenance facility. However, transporting it there would be prohibitively costly and difficult, the JPO said. The air base and the maintenance facility are roughly 60 miles apart, making it a tough overland journey for the aircraft and its 35-foot wingspan. The JPO, with South Korea's approval, opted for a novel approach to this problem, and US Air Force, US Navy, and Lockheed Martin personnel gathered in South Korea to work with the local military to remove the jet's wings before transfer and then reattach them on-site at the new location. "This was a significant challenge, as it was the first attempt at removing F-35 wings as part of a concept demonstration," said Matt Trodden, the F-35 Lightning Support Team Aircraft Crash Recovery Lead Engineer, in a statement. The process — never conducted before on an F-35A — has now been adopted as part of the F-35 program's standard heavy maintenance, repair, and reuse protocols. The project took inspiration from an earlier repair project dubbed "Frankenbird" or "Frankenjet" which saw two damaged F-35s fused together into a fully operational aircraft. Initiated in 2023, the project — led by engineers from manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force — resulted in a successful test flight with the jet earlier this year. Salvage operations of this kind could help mitigate the cost of losing an F-35, which has an estimated price tag of over $80 million for the A variant that South Korea flies. The jet comes in three different variants: the internal gun-equipped As, the Bs with a lift van for short takeoff and vertical landing, and Cs for carrier operations. The "Frankenbird," by contrast, cost around $6 million to cobble together, and it is due back into operational service this year. South Korea took delivery of its first F-35A Lighting II in 2019. It now operates roughly 40 of them, with a plan to have a fleet of 60 by 2028, according to the manufacturer. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
21-05-2025
- General
- Business Insider
The US and South Korea just rewrote the rulebook on salvaging a downed F-35
An F-35A stealth fighter jet that crash-landed on its belly in 2022 has been given a new lease of life thanks to a dramatic operation to remove and then reattach its wings. The South Korean air force aircraft made headlines three years ago after a catastrophic mid-flight bird strike caused an F-35 pilot to make a "belly landing," or gear-up landing, at Seosan Air Base, near the country's eastern coast. The South Korean pilot walked away from the high-risk maneuver unharmed, but the damage left the Lockheed Martin fifth-generation fighter unfit for service. Local media reported a year after the bird-strike incident that South Korea was considering dumping the fighter after estimated repair costs to get the jet flying again following its unfortunate run-in with an eagle could be almost the price of a new F-35. According to the F-35 Joint Program Office, a new plan was then devised with South Korea's air force to repurpose the jet as a training platform at the country's dedicated F-35 maintenance facility. However, transporting it there would be prohibitively costly and difficult, the JPO said. The air base and the maintenance facility are roughly 60 miles apart, making it a tough overland journey for the aircraft and its 35-foot wingspan. The JPO, with South Korea's approval, opted for a novel approach to this problem, and US Air Force, US Navy, and Lockheed Martin personnel gathered in South Korea to work with the local military to remove the jet's wings before transfer and then reattach them on-site at the new location. "This was a significant challenge, as it was the first attempt at removing F-35 wings as part of a concept demonstration," said Matt Trodden, the F-35 Lightning Support Team Aircraft Crash Recovery Lead Engineer, in a statement. The process — never conducted before on an F-35A — has now been adopted as part of the F-35 program's standard heavy maintenance, repair, and reuse protocols. The project took inspiration from an earlier repair project dubbed "Frankenbird" or "Frankenjet" which saw two damaged F-35s fused together into a fully operational aircraft. Initiated in 2023, the project — led by engineers from manufacturer Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force — resulted in a successful test flight with the jet earlier this year. Salvage operations of this kind could help mitigate the cost of losing an F-35, which has an estimated price tag of over $80 million for the A variant that South Korea flies. The jet comes in three different variants: the internal gun-equipped As, the Bs with a lift van for short takeoff and vertical landing, and Cs for carrier operations. The "Frankenbird," by contrast, cost around $6 million to cobble together, and it is due back into operational service this year. South Korea took delivery of its first F-35A Lighting II in 2019. It now operates roughly 40 of them, with a plan to have a fleet of 60 by 2028, according to the manufacturer.
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
LDS Church loses lawsuit over payment of sexual abuse settlements
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — The Utah District Court has ruled against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in a lawsuit filed over the payment of sex abuse settlements. The Church sued its insurance companies, National Union Insurance and ACE Property & Casualty Co., claiming that the companies should pay for a sexual abuse lawsuit involving the church that was settled in West Virginia. The case, filed initially by the church in 2021, centered around the church disputing the policies of two insurance companies it had contracted with to restitute lost payments tied to a West Virginia sexual abuse settlement — which involved the sexual abuse of children by a man named Michael Jensen. 'Frankenjet': This F-35A Lightning II made from two damaged aircraft just returned to Utah's Air Force base The lawsuit alleged that the church failed to report a reasonable suspicion of child sexual abuse as required by West Virginia law, failing to protect the children from their abuser. The church settled the case, but their insurance companies — National Union Insurance and ACE Property & Casualty Co. — would not cover the settlements. The Church then sued the insurance companies in federal court in Salt Lake City, claiming that the companies were in breach of contract. They lost. The court ruled against the LDS Church on April 6, stating that insurance companies contracted by the church 'did not owe the church a duty to defend or indemnify under any implicated policy,' and as a result, the companies did not 'breach their contractual obligations to the Church under any policy or the implied covenants of good faith and fair dealing inherent in the contracts they entered into with the church.' The church also came under fire in 2022 after an Arizona bishop learned that a member of his ward was sexually assaulting his 5-year-old daughter. The bishop then followed church policy and called the Mormon Abuse Help Line. He later informed police that church attorneys in Salt Lake City who staff the help line claimed that because he learned of the abuse during a counseling session, the church considers it a spiritual confession, and he was therefore legally bound to keep the abuse secret. The abuser was identified as Paul Douglas Adams, a U.S. Border Patrol employee who was living with his wife and six children in Bisbee, Arizona. Adams abused the bishop's daughter for seven more years, and went on to abuse his second daughter, according to the Associated Press. He reportedly finally stopped in 2017 — and with no help from the church — because he was arrested. The incident led the Associated Press to obtain thousands of pages of sealed court documents that show, in detail, how the church's help line can divert abuse complaints away from law enforcement. The financial details of the ruling against the LDS Church in regard to the sexual abuse in West Virginia has been redacted. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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
12-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Warm and windy Saturday with a drop in temps
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Happy weekend, Utah! We closed out the workweek with record breaking warmth in several cities including Salt Lake. The strong ridge of high pressure allowed for temperatures to climb 24 degrees above average in Salt Lake with most of Utah looking at highs 10-20 degrees above seasonal norms. The ridge breaks down and slides to the east as we make it through today. Today you can expect increasing clouds during the day with highs remaining above average but cooler than the last two days. We will also see gusty SW winds ahead of the approaching cold front. Expect blowing dust and hazy skies. Temperatures along the Wasatch Front will fall back into the mid to upper 70s, meanwhile SW Utah will stay on the very warm side with temperatures warming to near 90°. Minecraft 'Chicken Jockey' trend hits Utah theaters, movie-goer kicked out after bringing live chicken A strong front will move through northern Utah Saturday evening, bringing a slight chance for a few very isolated showers. Right now, the chances are not good for much in the way of measurable precipitation. Winds will switch from out of the SW to NW leading to a big cool down on Sunday. Highs Sunday afternoon will only be in the 50s. Across southern Utah, the front will not move through until Sunday morning, but should come through on the dry side. Temperatures will range from the low 90s in SW Utah into the low 80s by Sunday afternoon. Next week will feature mainly dry conditions and after brief cooldown — look for moderating temps. Highs will warm back into the 60s & 70s across the Wasatch Front with highs in the mid to upper 80s for SW Utah. We'll keep you posted on the latest information in our 4Warn Weather forecast both on-air and online, we are Good4Utah! 'Frankenjet': This F-35A Lightning II made from two damaged aircraft just returned to Utah's Air Force base Supreme Court gives Trump wiggle room with mistaken deportation decision Race fans brace the rain for 1st race of Spring Tripleheader in Bristol Motor Speedway Warm and windy Saturday with a drop in temps Baseball Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. relishing chance to photograph Masters Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
