We are well aware that Chapter 17, Maintenance and Reliability, is not reached by semester end in many syllabi. But we would suggest that it is an important topic, especially when we consider the terrible impact of Hurricane Michael in Florida 2 weeks ago. About $2 billion in fighter jets were trapped on the ground because of maintenance issues and forced to ride out the Category 4 hurricane.
As many as 17 of Tyndall Air Force base’s 55 F-22s sustained damage or have been destroyed during the storm. (Considering the level of destruction, all of them could be damaged). One F-22 jet costs about $139 million. The aircraft were unable to escape with the rest of the base’s F-22 fleet to Wright Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. The jets left behind were parked inside hangars as officials hoped for the best.
But why can’t F-22 jet fighters, of all things, escape a storm? Answer: They lack the parts to be operational. “Welcome to a fighting force damaged by bad political decisions and misguided priorities”, writes The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 17, 2018). Of the Air Force’s 186 F-22s, only about 80 are “mission capable,” meaning less than half are flyable at any given time.
Part of the F-22 problem is upkeep on a coating that helps the planes evade radar. Another issue is the supply chain for parts now that the U.S. no longer produces the airplane, and some original manufacturers no longer make the parts or are completely out of business. Air Force officials say that a simple wiring harness requires a 30-week lead time for finding a new contractor and producing the part. Ripping out parts from planes that work, or “cannibalizing,” is now common practice in military aviation.
Classroom discussion questions:
- What OM policies could the Air Force implement to deal with this issue?
- Which graph in Figure 17.4 provides a better representation of the F-22 costs?