Evaluating Alternative Maintenance Manpower Force Structure Concepts for the F-35A
Abstract
What are the costs and benefits of consolidating maintenance career fields in terms of managing the force and meeting emerging operational requirements? The U.S. Air Force (USAF) has a goal of reducing the life cycle operating and support (O and S) costs of the F-35A (Lightning) by 43 percent (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2019b). Aircraft maintenance is one of the largest functions of aircraft O and S and is often a consideration when determining options to reduce overall O and S costs. Consolidation and reorganization of maintenance career fields are often motivated by a desire to reduce unit-level maintenance manpower cost. But USAF leaders additionally are interested in exploring how consolidation and reorganization apply to other objectives, including reducing aircraft downtime that arises because of maintenance; improving combat resiliency; and developing a maintenance workforce that can be employed in leaner, more-mobile adaptive basing concepts. This analysis considers the following three framing questions to inform USAF leadership on the costs and benefits of merged maintenance career fields for the F-35A: How do merged maintenance specialty concepts change F-35A O and S costs? Can merged maintenance specialty concepts improve wartime performance (e.g., sortie generation)? Are there significant potential implementation barriers for merged maintenance specialty concepts?
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1108408
Entities
People
- Amanda Nguyen
- Anna J. Wirth
- Daniel M. Romano
- John G. Drew
- Michael J. Lostumbo
- Moon Kim
- Paul Emslie
- Ronald G McGarvey
- Shane Tierney
- Thomas Light
Organizations
- RAND Corporation