Keeping the Famous Hovering Fighter Jet Flying
In-service Harriers, all built over 20 years ago, face parts obsolescence and increasingly challenging support to keep them operational, safe, and mission-ready with the latest technological upgrades.
project details
Client
U.S. Navy
Location
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, NJ
Services
Industries
The world’s first hovering fighter jet, the AV-8B Harrier, has several needs unlike any other plane in the world. For example, when in hover mode, the air the jet engine takes in can be the same hot exhaust it just expelled for upward thrust – creating a situation where the engine could easily overheat. To mitigate this, the Harrier is the only jet that uses onboard water cooling to increase engine thrust at lower temperatures when in hover mode. But impurities in the water could easily foul up the engine’s parts, so the water must be demineralized before being filled into the plane’s tank. The U.S. Navy performs this task around the globe with specialized demineralization carts.
The U.S. Navy has planned for years to sundown its fleet of hovering AV-8B Harrier jets and replace them with the new F-35B Lightning II (which also hovers, but uses a separate lift-fan rather than redirecting the jet exhaust downward like a Harrier). However, long delays in rollout of the F-35 have meant that AV-8B Harriers are still the primary short vertical take-off and landing (SVTOL) jet fighter supporting U.S. Marine Corp forces around the world.
UTRS has helped keep the Harriers flight-ready by performing numerous support services for almost 20 years. When parts are no longer available from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), we source affordable warehouse supplies or find alternatives that meet the mission needs. If none can be found, we reverse-engineer the original then prototype, test, validate, fabricate low-rate initial production (LRIP) quantities, and deliver the parts. Sometimes what the jets need are not replacement parts, but modifications to allow them to accept upgrades to the latest avionics, weapons, and surveillance systems. We maintain a database of parts to predict obsolescence and anticipate issues before they arise.
To give an example of UTRS’s support related to the unique nature of these aircraft, the demineralization cart pumps used to be powered by a diesel engine that is now obsolete. Aging and failing diesel engine pumps had the potential to compromise mission capability for the U.S. Navy, the USMC, and allies.
UTRS was tasked with solving the problem. We prototyped the replacement of the diesel engine, changes to the engine and pump mounts, and replacement of the pumps. Once the prototype was accepted, UTRS assembled kits to implement the changes on deployed demineralization carts, ensuring the AV-8B jets that provide vital support to the U.S. Marine Corps around the world will continue to be mission ready.
Our team has extensive experience mitigating obsolescence, repairing worn specialty parts, reverse-engineering to build replacements, and prototyping new solutions.
