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Show HILL TOP TIMES Friday, November 22, 1985 o O Program makes systems more durable, mobile have been eliminated by having engineers retrofit or redesign new digital components to replace old "electromechanical ones, according to Ray Carriker, chief, engineering unit at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Ga. technology has also been applied to a new radar antenna on aircraft, making it 130 times more reliable than its predecessor. The mean time between failure of the new antenna is By Steve Cotten Hq AFLC Public Affairs- - IMore than a year ago, the need to increase operational effectiveness through improved reliability and maintainability began to receive new Air Force emphasis. Today, that emphasis has been translated into an action plan called R&M 2000. : In a September 1984 policy memorandum, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles A. Gabriel and Secretary of the Air Force Verne Orr said the R&M-200plan can make Air Force weapon systems more available, mobile and durable, as well as reduce manpower and support costs. In essence, the plan is g designed to increase the Air Force's across the board. capability According to Brig. Gen. Edward R. Bracken, deputy chief of staff for maintenance, Air Force . ;. 16,510 Wright-Patterso- n R&M wasn't driven like it is starting to be now," said Dave Lyons, branch chief of operations analysis at AFLC headquarters. Mr. Lyons sees the new emphasis placed on reliability and maintainability as a positive move. "The major commands have got to start living and breathing R&M, especially AFLC," he said. "Right now we are only 15 percent down the road to where we ought to be, but with more priority being given to R&M in the grand scheme of things, the Air g Force can definitely reach its goal of increasing : . capability." IMaking Air Force equipment more reliable and maintainable is not a new idea. According to Gen. Robert D. :Russ, (commander, Tactical Air Command, a decade of modifications to the 5 has ena: bled that aircraft to fly 50 percent more missions than it did in 1975. ; Some of the advances being made as a part of the R&M 2000 action plan incorporate hew technology to not only improve reliability and maintainability, but also improve performance. For example, 30 percent of 2 avionics failures ": hours. h "Not only do we heed to improve R&M on the front line," he adds'but also with backup support when we develop and modify weapon systems. This is where AFLC 's role comes into play." months, rt Another example of high-tecproduct improvements increasing reliability and maintainability is the replacement of an amplifier on ALT-1- 6 electronic warfare equipment with a singular solid-stat- e device by employees of the Engineering and Reliability Branch at Warner Robins ALC. The replacement device has a reliability of several thousand hours with drastically reduced maintenance requirements. While past and present improvements in reliability and maintainability are important, the future is the main focus of R&M 2000. Speaking from that perspective, General Bracken said, "We need R&M by design. Industry will have to step up to Air Force goals by designing R&M into equipment right from the beginning." According to Mr. Lyons, the industry's contractors must be willing to work with the Air Force to increase our capability. "The Air Force needs to get smarter at negotiating R&M into its contracts, " he said. "We can no longer accept mere lab testing to accurately tell how reliable or maintainable something is; we must insist that industry test our equipment in the real world." Mr; Lyons sees the Air Force shifting away from electromechanical devices and developing more solid-stat- e equipment. "To decrease the manhours necessary for maintenance of equipment and spare parts," he said, "I see recoverable parts decreasing in number and replaceable parts increasing. Eventually, all airplanes will have replaceable-units.- " According to Mr. Lyons, these "throw-away- " items, could be stocked on the aircraft for easy replacement and alleviate the need for ground time due to costly repairs. This is not to say Air Force spare parts will ever become completely disposable. But, according to 2nd Lt. Randy Hukka, R&M 2000 project manager for the AFLC's Logistics Operations Center, ' 0 acquisition process. 12 otate-of-thea- B-52- G AFB, Ohio, 'R&M must be considered equally with cost, schedule and performance in the "Until the last " -1 war-fightin- Logistics Command headquarters, . "AFLC MUST BECOME MORE LITERATE IN TECHNOLOGY AND DEVELOP INNOVATIVE BUSINESS STRATEGIES TO EXPLOIT TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES." fuSAVJ AFLC'PA war-fightin- g -- war-fightin- F-1- B-5- New procedure nets big dollars for maintenance - By Tom Garcia it .ifA CD 335 AFB, the need to reduce the resources used to repair our aircraft is very substantial. "We have gone from the day where a crew chief could fix anything to where one person can fix the left main brake of the Reducing the number of spare parts and maintenance needs, Lieutenant Hukka said, will increase reliability and maintainability. "The goal," he added, "is for new systems to have thousands of hours of time between failure and the number of sorties without maintenance to increase from three to Wright-Patterso- n F-15- eight." ." : However, as General Bracken explained, the R&M action plan is not looking for a reduction in manpower, but rather an increase in productivity. Eventually this productivity will help the Air Force to increase its fighter wings from 36 to 44 without increasing manpower, the general said.(AFLCNS) Jfv v t Directorate of Maintenance In keeping with the government's policy to cut costs arid improve productivity: through the Relia- . - bility and Maintainability 2000 program, a new R&M initiative has been completed that will save the Air Force more than $335,000 annually. Lavell Anderson, an industrial engineering technician in the Directorate of Maintenance's Aircraft Division, troubleshoots complex problems on the F-- l 6 aircraft and developed new procedures to purge the gas generator without firing the emergency power, unit.; The EPU is a backup system that provides temto porary emergency hydraulic and electrical power situathe flight control system during emergency :: tions.--:' '' -- "'' ' " The original method required shearing the gas generator poppet valve pin to purge the system, resulting in requirements to constantly check the a 13 generator's serviceability. A study revealed had which to on the generators percent failure rate be routed to the contractor for repair. The new procedures have provided the customer with timely support and have eliminated 8.8 stanand generdard hours of follow-u- p generator checks , ator repair costs. Aircraft Division employees who have suggestions or input to the R&M Program can contact the vjsipn rpductjytxm9 .??Js J27?8. - (U.S. Air Force Photo) . Lavell Anderson (I), Industrial engineering technician in the Directorate of Maintenance's Aircraft Division, and his supervisor, Jim Davis, review the new purging procedure that is projected to save A. , J3p00,annually. ' |