23 HORNETS WERE RECOVERED FROM THE RESERVE FOR US MARINE CORPS

The Navy/Marine Corps requirement called for nine aircraft to be delivered in 2016; another seven in 2017; and the final seven in 2018.

F-18 Hornets at the AMARG (Photo: flyian.net)

Tucson’s 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, commonly referred to as AMARG, recently completed a project to withdraw 23 F/A-18C “Hornet” jet fighters from war-reserve storage and deliver them to the U.S. Marine Corps for return to flying service.

The AMARG team dramatically reduced the time to deliver each aircraft, completing the project for the Marine Corps one year ahead of schedule.

Employing a multi-skilled, six-member team of aviation mechanics, AMARG personnel began dismantling the F/A-18Cs by removing engines and wings, retracting landing gear, and ultimately placing the aircraft on shipping fixtures.

The Navy/Marine Corps requirement called for nine aircraft to be delivered in 2016; another seven in 2017; and the final seven in 2018.

“With an acceleration of the Hornet production line and a schedule to deliver only seven aircraft in 2017, we had the momentum and opportunity to introduce additional jets originally scheduled for completion in 2018,” said Timothy Gray, AMARG’s acting director at the time of completion. “Doing that required additional Navy funding for this year.”

By combining Hornet requirements spanning 2017 and 2018 into a single year, the AMARG team doubled their efforts on behalf of Marine Corps warfighters and finished dismantling and preparing the remaining 14 aircraft for shipment by late July, a year ahead of schedule.

A total of 16 Hornets were shipped to the maintenance facility at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Fla., where Boeing, under a U.S. Marine Corps contract, is installing the F/A-18C-plus upgrade.

Another seven air frames are staged and on stand-by for transport to the Florida-based modernization facility.

Source: AMARG