Paint system wins award for Wright-Patt F-35 Program

[spazsinbad]

Paint system wins award for Wright-Patt F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program 21 Apr 2014 Barrie Barber

"WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — An F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program office at Wright-Patterson has won an Office of the Secretary of Defense environmental award, the Pentagon reported Monday.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center F-35 Environmental, Safety and Occupational Health Support Team was one of nine environmental award winners throughout the Defense Department.

The AFLCMC office oversaw the development of a new paint applying system that reduced the number of coatings needed on the stealth jet, increased the amount of time paint can last, reduced hazardous emissions and improved fuel efficiency, among other outcomes, the Defense Department said.

The F-35 Joint Program Office estimated the new procedure could save $435 million in production costs and nearly $1.1 billion in operations and maintenance expenses over the life of the jet fighter."

SOURCE: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/bus ... int/nfd7s/

[spazsinbad]

FY 2013 Secretary of Defense Environmental Awards
Environmental Excellence in Weapon System Acquisition, Large Program: AFLCMC F-35 Environment, Safety and Occupational Health Support Team, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base | PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
"Introduction...
...To reduce reliance on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and lessen the impact to the environment, among other initiatives, the AFLCMC F-35 ESOH (Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) F-35 Environment, Safety and Occupational Health) support team spearheaded the successful evaluation of an Alternative Outer Mold Line (AOML) coating system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. This novel all-in-one corrosion-resistant coating, which contains no hexavalent chromium, replaces the traditional coating system’s top two layers. The unique AOML coating system significantly decreases aircraft final finish weight and increases durability over the traditional coating system....

...AOML Cost Savings and Mission Benefits
AOML Cost Savings and Mission Benefits The elimination of one layer from the F-35 aircraft coating system results in a significant overall aircraft weight reduction, which translates to reduced fuel consumption and lower aircraft emissions during flight. Additionally, compared to the traditional coating system, the AOML coating system eliminates 17 pounds of VOCs and 21 pounds of HAPs emissions per aircraft during the paint process, while maintaining required coating corrosion resistance properties.

The traditional aircraft coating system could require scuff sanding and repaint after 2-3 years of use. The AOML coating is projected to extend the refresh cycle to approximately every 6-8 years, which cuts the paint/de-paint waste stream by over 50 percent and is expected to result in vastly reduced hazardous waste, VOCs and HAPs, maintenance crew labor hours, and aircraft down time over the aircraft’s life cycle.

The F-35 Joint Program Office has estimated that the AOML coating system will result in a $435 million reduction in
production costs and a savings of $1.07 billion in operations and sustainment costs over the life cycle of the Joint Strike Fighter program (total savings of $1.505 billion). The huge impact to their program was recognized by the Director of Engineering, F-35 Joint Program Office, in a letter of appreciation, received in July 2013, touting the F-35 ESOH support team’s dedication and teamwork in implementing the AOML FSE program. The total AFLCMC pollution prevention investment cost for this effort was $1.05 million....

...TRANSFERABILITY
Although the AOML coating system was developed specifically for the F-35 program, similar benefits could be realized by other weapon systems. The F-16 program is currently in the process of implementing a similar coating system on their aircraft that is based on the results of the AOML coating system....

...CONCLUSION
Over the past two fiscal years the AFLCMC F-35 ESOH support team provided many acquisition program offices, including
the F-35 Joint Program Office, a single cohesive focal point for acquisition ESOH support. The team consistently supplied
superior technical and management support to all AFLCMC weapon systems and reduced or eliminated a significant amount of HAZMAT in the manufacturing, operation, sustainment and disposal processes. The team’s achievements fully incorporated the spirit and intent of Executive Orders and Air Force policy and used the federal, state, and local regulatory requirements as a framework to accomplish these goals."

SOURCE: http://www.denix.osd.mil/awards/upload/ ... e-Base.pdf (2Mb) ALSO ATTACHED

[Corsair1963]

Are all the planned F-35's going to get the same Greg Camo???