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The F-35 Lightining II Joint strike fighter has led a protracted, troubled - and expensive - development.
Removing F-35 Engine Takes At Least 36 Hours! 60 Minutes on a CF-18
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10:17 (15:17 UTC) - January 4, 2019 - Quebec, Canada - by Sylvain Faust for Fliegerfaust
According to an official document, removing an engine on the new high-tech F-35 takes in excess of 36 working hours as reported by Staff Sgt. Peter Thompson, 33rd Fighter Wing on the website www.af.mil. As for a comparison, removing one Canadian CF-18 engine takes 60 minutes and another 60 minutes to install it back according Canadian Air Force maintenance individuals I contacted.
Another comparison, the French Rafale takes three (3) hours to have a "complete swap", removing and installing an engine as stated French Navy Cmdr. Henri Mahe, the chief maintenance officer for Charles de Gaulle.
A @usairforce story reveals a nice pearl: it takes 36 hours just to remove an #F35A engine on the ground. https://t.co/05W5qoraQa
A French Navy team on USS Truman swapped a Rafale-M engine in 3 hours. https://t.co/wKL6l0geq1
That's 3 hours compared to 36.
— Giovanni de Briganti (@JoedeBrig) January 4, 2019
It is important to know that when selecting a Jet Fighter, one of the very important consideration is how quick it is to fix. It is easy to imagine what would happen during a combat situation to have your fleet of aircraft grounded each for days just to replace an engine when this is a trivial task for your enemy.
The Canadian government is currently evaluating its choices for a fighter aircraft to replace its old CF-18 (F-18) aircraft Canada started to acquire in the late 80s.
Currently there are two (2) American and two (2) European fighter jets in the race.
- The Lockheed-Martin's F-35
- Boeing's SuperHornet
- Eurofighter Typhoon made by a group that includes Airbus
- Gripen made by Saab
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did say already that Canada would never purchase the F-35. This might actually be the right thing to do...
Sylvain Faust, Fliegerfaust
Source: Franch Navy - US Air Force
