TAG celebrates 10,000-hour mark

Published Oct. 31, 2012
By Master Sgt. Russell Martin
451st Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Aircraft engines are typically pulled every few hundred hours on Air Force fighter aircraft to undergo full inspection to ensure they are fully mission capable, however one aircraft broke even their own long-running "time-on-wing" standards.

451st Tactical Airborne Gateway at Kandahar Airfield here recently celebrated a major milestone for one of their aircraft. The E-11A aircraft, powered by Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR-710 engines, passed 10,000 hours "on-wing" without having to be pulled off for any major mechanical repairs.

The E-11A provides airborne communication and data links to ground forces operating in Afghanistan. It is equipped to relay and broadcast a variety of information in support of current operations. The Battlefield Airborne Communications Node supports seamless movement of both voice and data communication. The system is especially useful in rugged terrain where line-of-sight communications are problematic. The airborne link has proven invaluable during airdrop and air strike operations, allowing ground forces to communicate with Command and Control nodes in all conditions and using a variety of radios.

Keeping those aircraft in the air provides critical communications between air and ground forces, especially when typical on-wing time of the engines is between 7,000 and 8,000 hours.

While the BR710 engines used to power the E-11A fleet are more commonly found in corporate jets, the operational requirements placed upon them by the Air Force exceed standard corporate flight profiles. The E-11A engines are subject to severe environmental conditions, and must cope with ingesting huge volumes of sand. Moreover, the engines must continue to deliver unparalleled levels of availability for sustained periods, with annual accumulated flying hours ten times higher than those of their civil counterparts, said Luke Daniel Mallows, Rolls-Royce Deutschland.

The E-11A BR-710 engines are now the world, on-wing fleet leaders, with more than 10,000 hours of operation," said Senior Master Sgt. Constantine Karamargin, 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron quality assurance superintendent. "Two of our six engines have achieved this historic accomplishment."

Rolls-Royce utilizes diagnostic software and a state-of-the-art 24-7 operations center to monitor engine health and deliver proactive engine support. Problems are identified and rectified before they can cause operational disruptions. To ensure maximum asset availability, Rolls-Royce is actively taking the engines of the E-11A fleet into its Repair and Overhaul facility before in-service issues are allowed to occur.

The first two engines of the E-11A fleet were pulled for repair at 6,300 flight hours, the second two at 8,300 flight hours and the fifth at 10,400 flight hours. The sixth and last engine came into shop at just above 10,000 flight hours.

"Prior to the E11-A fleet, no BR710 engine had remained on-wing for more than 10,000 flight hours, and this feat is testament to the dedication, hard work and cooperation between the USAF E-11A team and Rolls-Royce," said Mallows.

The E-11A engine fleet is operated on a task orientated maintenance concept, which means that engines are flown until potential problems are identified during the scheduled on-wing inspection tasks, which include regular borescope inspections.

10,000-hour feat