Through an official communication published yesterday, the U.S. Navy announced that it has successfully completed the first Planned Structural Sustainment Repair (PSSR) on one of its F-16 aggressor aircraft, marking a strengthening of its capabilities to provide maintenance for the platform. According to the information released, the work was carried out by the Adversary and Specialized Aircraft Program Office (PMA-226) and the Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW), which achieved the milestone eight months ahead of the original schedule.
Quoting official statements on the matter, Captain Jason Pettitt, program manager at PMA-226, stated: “This is a major achievement for the Navy. The strategic collaboration between FRCSW and PMA-226 to establish F-16 depot maintenance capabilities has accelerated warfighter readiness. Both teams worked tirelessly to acquire, train, and install the necessary equipment to stand up F-16 PSSR capability in just 18 months—an unprecedented pace for depot line activation.”
Expanding on further details, the service indicated that the work required cooperation with units of the U.S. Air Force, as it became necessary to adapt the platform’s existing technical data to the specific conditions of U.S. Navy maintenance facilities. Several challenges were also encountered in conducting inventories of the required parts, particularly regarding data uploads into the Navy’s supply system, and it was likewise necessary to advance personnel training to work on a new aircraft type.
Nevertheless, it was noted that the lessons learned during this process will allow the force to move forward with similar work across the rest of the Navy’s F-16 fighter fleet, while also streamlining procedures for integrating new features such as the Uniform Have Glass (UHG) coating, which would reduce the amount of maintenance required for the platform. This is no minor detail, considering that such efforts can extend the service life of the aircraft beyond the five remaining years they had at the time of acquisition.
In this regard, the work encompassed within the PSSR is key to ensuring the operational readiness of the F-16 fleet in its aggressor role, primarily operated by the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC) and various components of the Air Force Reserve. Specifically, this translates into their use as aircraft that simulate enemy threats in pilot training and in the so-called TOPGUN activities. The Navy currently operates an F-16 fleet composed of “dozens of aircraft” that are expected to fulfill this role for decades to come, replacing the older F-5 Tiger II and F/A-18 Hornet previously employed for the same mission.
Image credits: Michael A. Furlano – U.S. Navy
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