Risk Management of an Aging KC-130 Fleet.
Abstract
Typically, when one thinks of aging aircraft, safety is what comes to mind. However, another important aspect is readiness, that is the aircraft has to be available and reliable when needed. Prior to the aging aircraft problem by maintaining safety levels, the readiness requirements were satisfied automatically. Now even in satisfying safety demands, the aging aircraft phenomenon can run afoul of readiness. For the aging USMC KC-130 F/R fleet, a damage-tolerant approach ensured that safety would be maintained but it presented a problem in forecasting readiness, aircraft remaining in the inventory. Due to mission changes, the KC-130 F/R fleet is being subjected to higher fatigue loads than were imposed by the previous mission requirements. Consequently, the designated fatigue service limit is being approached at a much faster rate than initially expected. In turn, if the standard retirement criteria (Fatigue Life Expended, FLE index) were implemented, the fleet inventory would be depleted much more rapidly than originally planned. More emphatically, even if the removal from service criterion was set at a higher FLE greater than the standard of 100%, to gain some service time, the readiness issue remains. Because of the present distribution of FLEs for the fleet, the reduction in KC-130 aircraft inventory using even an FLE of 125% as the removal criterion is far greater than the projected acquisition of KC-130 J models.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 03, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA368599
Entities
People
- James Candella
- Jennifer A. Miller
- Margery Hoffman
- Paul Hoffman
Organizations
- Naval Air Warfare Center