• 62nd Maintenance Squadron airmen and RAAF airmen work together to repair a RAAF C-17A Globemaster at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.
USAF Airman 1st Class Sara Hoerichs
    62nd Maintenance Squadron airmen and RAAF airmen work together to repair a RAAF C-17A Globemaster at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. USAF Airman 1st Class Sara Hoerichs
Close×

A recently signed arrangement with the US has expedited the RAAF’s No. 36 Squadron getting one of its C-17A Globemasters back on mission.

The aircraft, which had suffered a cracked engine inlet during a mission to Alaska in late August, was repaired under the Aircraft Repair and Maintenance Service – Implementing Arrangement (ARMS-IA). It allows C-17A technicians from the RAAF and US Air Force (USAF) to work on each other’s aircraft.

Even though RAAF and USAF C-17As are exactly the same, the maintenance workforces from both countries differ significantly in how they are qualified in their role.

The inlet repair marked the first time that USAF technicians have supported a RAAF C-17A ARMS-IA.

Last July, technicians from No. 36 Squadron supported two USAF C-17As requiring maintenance in Australia.

Warrant Officer Pete Ranson, the Warrant Officer of Engineering for No. 36 Squadron, said the crack on the engine inlet was located on the anti-ice duct – the bare metal ring on the ‘lip’ of the engine housing.

“The jet arrived at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska on August 30, and the crack was detected a part of the post-flight inspection,” WO Ranson said.

The anti-ice area of the inlet ensures ice doesn’t form on the front of the engine housing whilst flying in moist air. Left unrepaired, a cracked inlet could have potentially catastrophic results for the engine housing and aircraft if it came apart in air.

For No. 36 Squadron, the first order of business was to decide where the repair would need to be conducted.

Australia is a signatory to the Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program, which sources spare parts from the nearest warehouse – including in the US. Whilst Elmendorf Air Force Base is home to a USAF C-17A squadron, the nearest replacement inlet was at McChord Air Force Base near Seattle in Washington State.

“Due to the size of the part, it was decided that it was more expedient to fly the aircraft to the inlet, versus transporting the inlet to the aircraft,” WO Ranson said. “Boeing released an engineering disposition to stop-drill the crack, and authorised a one-time ferry flight from Elmendorf to McChord.

“The amount of cracking was deemed acceptable enough to allow a short ferry flight.”

Once at McChord, maintenance personnel from the USAF’s 62nd Maintenance Squadron worked to change the engine inlet under RAAF supervision.

The engine inlet measures 1.99 metres in diameter and weighs 248.5 kilograms. While not regarded as a difficult item to remove and fit to the engine cowling, the inlet still requires a crane and a steady hand due to its size and weight.

The work was completed over three days in September and the No. 36 Squadron team was back flying on their mission.

“Without ARMS-IA, maintenance personnel would have had to be deployed from Australia to the aircraft’s location,” WO Ranson said.

“No. 36 Squadron is often experiencing a high operational tempo, and the longer an aircraft is unavailable, the greater the impact on other missions we’re tasked in support of.”

Note: Eamon Hamilton is a Public Affairs Officer with RAAF’s Air Mobility Group at RAAF Base Richmond. This article first appeared in Defence News.

comments powered by Disqus