The U.S. Air Force has successfully returned a reconstructed F-35A fighter jet to operational status after combining parts from two damaged aircraft, officials announced this week.
The aircraft, nicknamed “Frankenjet,” completed its return to service on Mar. 26 when it was delivered to the 4th Fighter Generation Squadron at Hill Air Force Base. The unprecedented repair, which involved transplanting the nose section from one damaged F-35A onto another, saved the Pentagon approximately $63 million compared to purchasing a new aircraft.
The F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) reported that the repair cost $11.7 million, $2.8 million less than initially projected, and took two years and five months to complete.
“A testament to the process developed here is that the rebuilt aircraft’s first flight was flown to the edges of the performance envelope, and it performed like it was fresh from the initial production line,” said Jeffrey Jensen, the F-35A variant lead.
The repair project began in late 2022 when the F-35 JPO, Lockheed Martin, and the 388th Fighter Wing Maintenance Group assessed two damaged aircraft designated AF-27 and AF-211. The first had experienced an engine fire in 2014, while the second suffered a nose landing gear malfunction in 2020.
Engineers determined they could salvage the nose section from AF-27 and attach it to the rear portion of AF-211, creating one functional aircraft from two damaged ones.
“The scope and complexity of this project was an exemplary demonstration of overcoming barriers and achieving a greater tier of major aircraft repair capability for an advanced tactical fighter,” said Tomas Barber, an F-35 JPO Major Mishap Repair Team engineer.
The reconstructed fighter completed its first flight on Jan. 24, traveling from Hill Air Force Base to Lockheed Martin’s facility in Fort Worth, Texas, before returning to operational status two months later.
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