F-111 Sole Operator Program: Maintaining the Structural Integrity of an Aging Fighter Aircraft

Abstract

Introduction The F-111 is a dual-seat, supersonic, variable geometry wing strike aircraft that has enjoyed RAAF and USAF service for the last 30 years. Approximately 550 aircraft were built between 1964 and 1973, with model variants from F-111A to F-111F. RAAF operations commenced in 1973 with the purchase of 24 F-111C aircraft and are planned to continue to 2020. Due to the age of the fleet and its changed circumstances following the retirement of the USAF F-111 fleets, a special program was initiated by the RAAF 1, to step back and take a fresh, holistic look at its F-111 aircraft structural integrity (ASI) management. It was titled the F-111 Sole Operator Program' and the aim was to ensure that all the required capabilities and data were in place to support the structural integrity of the aircraft to 2020.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADP014088

Entities

People

  • Bill Madley
  • Francis Rose
  • Kevin Watters
  • Manfred Heller
  • Paul Callus

Organizations

  • Defence Science and Technology Group

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Aluminum Alloys
  • Composite Materials
  • Corrosion
  • Corrosion Inhibition
  • Engineering
  • Fuselages
  • Geometry
  • Information Systems
  • Inspection
  • Maintenance Costs
  • Materials
  • Stress Corrosion
  • Stress Corrosion Cracking
  • Structural Components
  • Web Browsers

Readers

  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Organizational Process Management (OPM).

Technology Areas

  • Hypersonics