F-35 maintenance experts from the 388th Fighter Wing are currently performing an unusual job under the direction of the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) together with manufacturer Lockheed Martin and other logistics and maintenance teams: They are turning two broken F-35s into a functional new one, the first F-35 “Franken-bird”.
Several units at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex are also involved in the project, including the 570th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the 576th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, the 809th Maintenance Support Squadron and the 309th Expeditionary Depot Maintenance Flight. The two aircraft in question are AF-211, whose nose landing gear broke during landing at Hill AFB in June, causing irreparable damage to the nose section of the aircraft. The other is AF-27, which suffered a serious engine fire at Eglin AFB in Florida in 2014 and has since served as an “Air Force Air Battle Damage and Repair Trainer” at Hill AFB. After an extensive feasibility study, it was decided to combine the undamaged nose section of AF-27 with the fuselage of AF-211 to create a functional aircraft. According to a Lockheed engineer: “Theoretically, all parts of the aircraft can be disassembled and reassembled, but this has never been done before.” https://militaeraktuell.at/das-bundesheer-steht-fuer-schneeeinsaetze-bereit/ The aim of the project is not only to return a valuable combat aircraft to the US Air Force, but also to gain experience, techniques and knowledge for similar projects in the future. In order to achieve the same results as in the large, stationary automated production facilities at the F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas, completely new, unique special tools, fixtures and equipment were developed and built. These are mobile and can also be used abroad in the future. The project is currently several months ahead of schedule and is expected to be completed in March 2025.
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