Operation Weatherman. Extreme weather damage recovery project

Transcription

1 Operation Weatherman Extreme weather damage recovery project SQUADRON LEADER JOHN GORMAN C-130 Airframe Manager, Royal Air Force CHARLES HUGHES VP Business Development & Strategy, Marshall ADG MIKE GECZY Deputy Director, C-130 Fleet Support, Lockheed Martin

2 What happened? The Telegraph 3:15PM BST 25 Apr 2013 Freak hailstorm grounded scores of NATO aircraft and helicopters Hail the size of golf balls battered British and US aircraft leaving some with extensive damage, a senior military source told The Daily Telegraph. Repairs are expected to cost millions of pounds and operations have been seriously curtailed while the aircraft are fixed.

3 Inspection Initial theatre inspection of damaged A/C by 71 IR Squadron Squadron Leader John Gorman

4 Upper Fuselage

5 Aileron & Elevator

6 Composite panels

7 Operation Weatherman LM involvement..oem expertise / capability / resource in supporting UOR with engineering & spares Engineering support Ferry flight considerations & recommendations Marietta structural engineer deployed to UK (8 weeks) Temporary repairs / techniques advice (especially composites) NTOs for HIOS TSG proposed repairs Alternate parts advice (form, fit & function) Spares support Priority sourcing of flight controls, skins and composite panels

8 Review, plan, report and prepare Technical support group group (engineering requirements for for K K v J v flying J flying control control options) options) St St Athan Athanoff-site working working party party (cannibalize (cannibalize retired retired C-130K C-130K flying flying controls) controls) Cannibalization, inspection inspection and and dispatch dispatch of of J J & K flying flying controls (from controls current scheduled maintenance at Cambridge) (from current scheduled maintenance at Cambridge) Dedicated Weatherman Engineering repair group formed Dedicated Weatherman Engineering repair group formed (review preliminary reports and develop detailed survey procedures) (review preliminary reports and develop detailed survey procedures) Production resource and capacity plan (support Production Cambridge resource inputs, and capacity review plan impact to current programmes / schedules) (support Cambridge inputs, review impact to current programmes / schedules)

9 Operation Weatherman Following recovery from theatre the effected airframes inputted direct to Cambridge for more comprehensive survey and recording of damage Some minor repairs and replacements where accomplished but main consideration was to allow for the inspections and return of airplanes to operational service as soon as possible Utilizing visual and NDI techniques (metallic & composite) Marshall instigated a detailed instruction and mapping process, based upon major panel structures and grid style measurement to allow for accurate and consistency of recording

10 Operation Weatherman All defects were catalogued using digital photos of both general and individual location and dimensions The resulting examinations added almost 50% additional areas of damage over those noted by initial in-country inspection at an average of 2,000 individual impacts per airframe On completion the engineering reports provide detail for future monitoring and recovery at more convenient scheduled maintenance opportunity

11 Remedial actions Ongoing refurbishments and retrofit of J flying controls Impact damage monitoring + replacement & repairs at next opportune maintenance check

12 Working together

13 Working together

14 Working together Throughout the recovery of the damaged aircraft, Marshall ADG staff displayed tremendous determination to see the project through to a successful conclusion. Long hours and difficult decisions were, of course, necessary. But, it was Marshall ADG s collaborative working with Lockheed Martin and the MoD in support of a common objective that stood out. Their ability to balance competing priorities through flexible planning and resourcing, willingness to innovate, and strong project management, made the critical difference and resulted in all five damaged aircraft returning to service as planned. This project has been a remarkable example of what can be achieved when the MoD works together in collaboration with such capable Industry partners.