Final Legacy Hornet Center Barrel Replacement
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) recently completed their last legacy F/A-18 Center Barrel Replacement (CBR). CBR is a complex and lengthy repair developed in 1991 by Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) and is needed to extend the service life of the classic F/A-18 fighter aircraft.
The legacy Hornet originally entered service with the US Navy and US Marine Corps in the 1980s and had an expected service life of 6.000 flight hours. According to Rebecca Ferguson, FRCSE's F/A-18 Legacy Hornet production lead: "Thousands of rough landings at sea and G-forces create an incredible amount of stress on an aircraft in general, but the center barrel on a Hornet has several key attach points that are particularly vulnerable to stress. The landing gear and wings connect to the fuselage at the center barrel. Replacing this structural piece helps ensure the aircraft remains airworthy."
Depending on the condition of the aircraft and other planned depot maintenance evolutions, such as a High Flight Hour (HFH) inspection and Planned Maintenance Interval (PMI), a CBR can take up to three years to complete, costing approximately USD 3 million per aircraft.
The last US Navy operational deployment of the legacy Hornet was aboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), which ended in March 2018. Currently, the F/A-18C/D Hornet is still in service with the USMC, where it will serve as the primary bridging platform to the F-35 Lightning II until its planned sundown in 2030.
Credit photo: US Navy/Toiete Jackson