More than a year ago, the U.S. Air Force took on the unique task of taking two wrecked aircraft and Frankensteining them together into one operational F-35A Lightning II. Now, after a whole lot of weird science, it’s alive!
In late 2023, the F-35 Joint Program Office assembled a “dream team” consisting of the 388th Fighter Wing, the Ogden Air Logistics Complex and Lockheed Martin. The mission: rebuild an AF-211 that lost its nose cone in 2021 using the front end of an F-35 that suffered a severe engine fire in 2014. The endeavor was affectionately called the “Franken-bird” project.
Most Read on IEN:
- South Carolina Law Would Prevent Purchases from In-State Auto Plant
- Small 3D-Printed Piece Could Save Air Force Millions in Fuel Costs
- Honeywell, One of the Few Remaining U.S. Industrial Conglomerates, Will Split into Three Companies
- PODCAST: Master Lock Leaves; GM's Quick Caddy; Bridgestone Plant Closes
Scott Taylor, a lead mechanical engineer at Lockheed Martin, said his team was already looking into feasibility since it has already pulled off a restoration project on an F-22 with significant damage. But this was the first time trying something like this with an F-35.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” Taylor told the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. “This is the first F-35 ‘Franken-bird’ to date. This is history.”
The work involved re-installing landing gear, rewiring the aircraft, rebuilding the cockpit, and installing several components that don’t often pop up in flight line maintenance shops. It involved completing several tasks that had never occurred at the field level, resulting in valuable updates to the technical data used by all F-35 maintainers.
On top of all that new proficiency, the project is estimated to have cost under $6 million dollars, way less than the typical $80 million shelled out for a new F-35A.
After completing a successful functional flight, the “Franken-bird” is off to Texas for final certifications before returning to service.
Click here to subscribe to our daily newsletter featuring breaking manufacturing industry news.
