Posted on 03/07/2012 7:13:34 PM PST by U-238
The US Air Force is considering buying engine parts for some of its aircraft from third-party manufacturers, the service's top officials told the US Congress on 6 March.
"We have taken a look at competing some aspects of engine components and have seen potential for significant [cost] reductions," said air force secretary Michael Donley, during his testimony before the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee. "We forecast a saving of $40 million," he added.
In recent years, several companies have received regulatory approval under the parts manufacturing approval (PMA) category to sell reverse-engineered parts for popular commercial engines, such as the CFM International CFM56.
Air force chief of staff Gen Norton Schwartz, testifying at the same hearing, said the service has had good experiences with buying refurbished commercial parts and parts built by third-party manufacturers for the CFM56-derived General Electric F108 turbofan installed on the Boeing KC-135 tanker fleet. The USAF's efforts have yielded some "very significant savings," he said.
The service is working to secure the data rights to the Pratt & Whitney F117 turbofan installed on the Boeing C-17 strategic transport, in order to pursue the same strategy for that fleet, Schwartz said. The USAF wants to pursue such a strategy for as many systems as possible, particularly for those that are not exclusive to the military, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at flightglobal.com ...
When I hear about savings of $40 million by messing with something that WORKS and is pretty important to an aircraft (like an engine), for some reason I envision plane crashes and dead pilots.
Yep. They can probably save a ton of money with Chinese knockoff.
I agree. I had the same reaction
I feel the same way. Cut where it doesn’t threaten lives.
Yet, the use of aftermarket parts, even simple SS bolts and nuts, on commercial airliners can result in multimillion fines to the airline rehab industry.
Sure, it makes lots of sense to be able to use aftermarket parts on much more highly sophisticated military jets to save a few quid, as long as the admiral is able to enjoy his $600 toilet seat! Not!
Im in total agreement
Not even the cost of one airplane that might be lost to say nothing of the crew member(s). Typical bureaucrat non think from people who know NOTHING about reality. Sort of like MacNamara during Vietnam running the war as a spreadsheet exercise.
exactly. planes flown on the edge of stability have to be the best they can be.
We can save a couple hundred million $ by not buying ugly statues for federal buildings and limiting Michelle to 3 lavish vacations per year.
I used to work for an aircraft engine manufacturer. In general, they don’t make their parts, they buy them from the lowest cost supplier that can produce the parts. They don’t come from the Magic Land of Perfect Quality as a rule, often they come from small businesses that have been making the same stuff the same way for years (because FAA regulations discourage change). The OEM’s will mark parts up as high as the market will bear as long as they have the monopoly - there’s no reason why aftermarket suppliers cannot make the same parts cheaper and better, and make money while saving customers money.
In the area of Defense Weaponry, $40 Mil is chump change. Moochelle has blown through much more than that on her jaunts around the globe.
Brings up incident of the Alaskan Airline Flight 261 and suspected Chinese knockoff inferior stabilizer carried in http://iraap.org/reports/alaska2.htm
Quoting: “Their technology and manufacturing standards AND their control/knowledge of downline product distribution, routing and handling is so precise the Chinese can in-build just the right amount of “defect” so these parts wipe out several years down the line; and specifically ONLY in those parts which end up in those planes which end up bought and operated by airline companies in the UNITED STATES!”
Now they get to not only knock off pets and kids but their guardians in military.
I believe that all US military equipment, with minor exceptions, should be produced domestically.
I get a bad feeling about this.
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