Longest-running jet engine test at AEDC is complete

  • Published
  • By Philip Lorenz III
  • AEDC/PA
ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. --  Engineers at the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) reached a mission-critical performance and evaluation testing milestone on the most widely used advanced technology fighter engine in the world.

"The year-long F100 Accelerated Mission Test (AMT) in SL-3 achieved a successful conclusion," said Tom Schmidt, the Aerospace Testing Alliance (ATA) project manager on the test. "This is a major accomplishment for AEDC and Pratt & Whitney."

An increased performance aircraft engine, the F100-PW-229, has been at AEDC's Sea-Level 3 (SL-3) Test Cell for the longest-running test ever conducted at the world's most advanced and largest complex of flight simulation test facilities.

Testing began Oct. 19, 2009 and concluded Sept. 21, 2010.

The F100-PW-229 Engine Enhancement Package (EEP) engine tested at AEDC is the most current operational version available to power the Air Force fleet of F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons and is currently being flown by U.S. allies.

The Accelerated Mission Test (AMT) subjected 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 are currently rated at 4,300 TACs.

Capt. Scott Rinella, AEDC's project manager for the nearly year-long program, said the program consumed 2.9 million gallons of fuel in order to accomplish the 2001 test hours required to qualify component improvement program hardware. He said that improvements to the engine are aimed at prolonging its operational life, reducing maintenance time and cost, thereby providing the warfighter with a much-needed resource for their mission.

"Additionally, the completion of testing marks the successful demonstration required to certify and extend the service life of the engine from 4,300 TACs to 6,000 TACs or 40 percent," Capt. Rinella said. "This will eliminate one depot maintenance cycle over the life of each engine carving out substantial life cycle costs when you consider there are more than 350 F100-PW-229 engines in the Air Force inventory."

Lt. Col. James Peavy, director of the Turbine Engine Ground Test Complex, said this test program has been extremely beneficial to the Air Force and those it supports.

"There is immeasurable value to the field from the increased availability of the engines to support the warfighter both in terms of less maintenance and longer life spans," he said. "This testing lets us develop a more robust engine, and gives us a chance to look at the performance of improved parts for fielding later."

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

From the outset of the test program on this F100 engine, 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."