E-6B TACAMO: life extension ongoing for service until 2038

[Stratofreighter]

http://key.aero/view_news.asp?ID=2168&t ... n=military" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

First E-6B life extension complete

The USAF has completed life extension work on the first of 16 US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft.

June 22: The US Air Force has completed life extension work on the first of 16 US Navy E-6B Mercury aircraft in a bid to extend the type’s service career to as far as 2038.

Airmen from the 566th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma completed the work as the airframes are similar to the E-3 Sentry in service at the base.

The E-6B Mercurys are flown by Strategic Communications Wing ONE, the primary mission of which is airborne communication with Navy submarines.
Bill Cain, 566 AMXS deputy director for E-3 services said "Although this airplane scheduled maintenance went longer than anticipated, everyone agrees that we have been able to hammer out a lot of the learning-curve issues, the bugs of doing this for the first time.

Normally, we (maintain) E-3s, but the E-3s are very similar to E-6s in the airframe structure, so our ability to support the Navy was created by that relationship and our ability to say, 'Hey, we can do that modification to extend the life of your airplane.'"

The Service Life Extension Program for the E-6 consists of strengthening the tail and under surfaces of the wing with 15,000 structural fasteners replaced. Each aircraft is programmed to take approximately 28,000 hours of work and the final E-6 is planned to roll out in 2013.