Longest running jet engine test is underway at AEDC

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Engineers at Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) are excited about setting a new record with a performance and evaluation test on the most widely used advanced technology fighter engine in the world.

An increased performance aircraft engine, the F100-PW-229, is at AEDC's Sea Level 3 test cell for the longest-running engine test ever conducted here.

The F100-PW-229 Engine Enhancement Package (EEP) engine being tested will be the most current operational version available to power the USAF fleet of F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons.

The year-long Accelerated Mission Test (AMT) at AEDC will subject the latest version of the F100 engine to 6,000 Total Accumulated Cycles (TAC) to simulate the operational stresses it would experience in flight between depot overhaul visits.

TAC is a unit of measurement for major rotating engine components tracked during an engine's operational life.

The F100-PW-229 engines currently are rated at 4,300 TACs.

Capt. Scott Rinella, AEDC's project manager for the year-long program, said the improvements to the engine are aimed at prolonging its operational life, reducing maintenance time and cost.

"The improvements were designed with the intent to extend the [programmed depot maintenance] interval from 4,300 to 6,000 [TACs]," said Christopher Szczepan, chief of the F100/TF33 Engineering and Technical Flight at Tinker AFB, Okla. "This test will establish if the engine can achieve 6,000 TACs from a durability standpoint."

Garry Blaisdell, Pratt and Whitney's (P&W) site manager at AEDC, said the potential financial savings for the U.S. government should be significant.

"The Air Force has the potential to save hundreds of millions of dollars in reduced depot overhaul costs through the remaining life cycle of the F100-PW-229, expected to be in service through 2045," he said. "Growing the depot overhaul limit to 6,000 TACs essentially eliminates one full [programmed depot] maintenance period on all EEP upgraded or newly procured -229 engines before the fleets retirement. The facilities at AEDC enable the U.S. government to safely validate this type of an engine and certify it prior to entering active service."

Tom Schmidt, ATA project engineer on the test, added, "The F100 is an engine that has been around for many years now and this phase of the engine's life is [part of] the component improvement program. So, it's continually being improved and upgraded, and this is just part of the evolution of making a good engine better."