Engineers and maintenance experts from the US Air Force (USAF) and Lockheed Martin are attempting to splice together sections from two damaged F-35 fighter jets, to form a single working aircraft.
The service is calling the endeavour the “Franken-bird” project.
Both of the two F-35 airframes involved in the project were damaged in separate mishaps. The nose section of F-35 tail number AF-211 was damaged beyond repair in 2020 when the aircraft experienced a forward landing gear separation.
The damaged portion of AF-211 will be replaced with the undamaged nose section of tail number AF-27, an F-35 that experienced a severe engine fire in 2014.
AF-27 has since been used as an example piece for battle damage and repair training at Hill AFB in Utah, where the Franken-bird project is located.
“This is a first for the F-35 programme and a very exciting project,” says Dan Santos, heavy maintenance manager at the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Procurement Office (JPO).
That office says it continuously seeks out opportunities to repurpose usable parts and systems from damaged F-35 aircraft, either for use elsewhere or to benefit F-35 maintenance and operations.
The Franken-bird team, which includes experts from the JPO, F-35 manufacturer Lockheed and USAF maintenance technicians, aims to produce an airworthy F-35 from the two damaged jets.
“Not only will this project return a combat asset back to the war fighter, but it opens the door for repairing future mishap aircraft using tooling, equipment, techniques and knowledge that has been developed,” says Santos.
The USAF says the effort builds upon several recent aircraft salvage re-purpose projects, including the launch of the first F-35 maintainer training facility that uses salvaged aircraft sections for instruction.
Lockheed is under contract from the JPO to perform the work of actually connecting the two F-35 sections and creating a serviceable aircraft.
The company spent several years examining the practicality of the splice idea, before launching the effort.
“Work began on the feasibility of this project in January 2020, when the F-35 JPO reached out to us because we had already accomplished the really big damage restoration projects for the F-22,” says Scott Taylor, Lockheed’s lead mechanical engineer on Franken-bird.
Taylor notes the project includes “meticulous documentation” of the new procedures being developed. These could eventually be integrated into normal maintenance operations.
“All of the aircraft sections can be de-mated and re-mated theoretically, but it’s just never been done before,” he notes. “This is the first F-35 Franken-bird to date.”
Specialised tooling, fixtures and equipment have been designed and built for the project, according to the USAF. The service assembled the package with an eye toward future overseas deployment, where it may not be able to quickly replace damaged aircraft.
“We’ve designed versatile tooling that fits neatly into a [container] box, making it transportable to various locations, including forward operation areas,” says Taylor.
The USAF says the new, mobile fixtures can achieve the same results as the large, stationary automated manufacturing jigs at Lockheed’s F-35 plant in Fort Worth, Texas.
The service says the additional capability proven by the Franken-bird project will benefit F-35 operators around the world.
“The F-35 programme is still young compared to all legacy airframes,” says Dave Myers, lead engineer for the JPO’s support team. “We are doing this for the first time, and organisationally for the future, we are creating a process we can move forward with.”
The USAF expects to complete the assembly project in March 2025.
