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221216-N-IX644-1042 ADRIATIC SEA (Dec. 16, 2022) Thanh Nguyen, assigned to Fleet Readiness Center Southwest, drills composite on an F/-18E Super Hornet aircraft attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77), Dec. 16, 2022. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 is the offensive air and strike component of Carrier Strike Group 10, George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG). The squadrons of CVW-7 are VFA-86, VFA-103, VFA-136, VFA-143, Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, and Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46. The GHWBCSG is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sasha Ambrose)
CVW-7, FRCSW Complete First of its Kind Aircraft Repairs at Sea
By Petty Officer 2nd Class Richard Rodger | March 23, 2023
Artisans from Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) completed first-of-its-kind repairs at sea on an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136, Jan. 9. They repaired damages from an in-flight starboard engine fire that occurred on Aug. 31, 2022, cutting down repair times and preserving the operational readiness and mission capabilities of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) engine mechanics Travis Barclay, left, and Mark Schexnayder work on the depot’s first disassembly of a T408 engine, which powers the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter.  Maintenance, repair and overhaul of the Marine Corps’ new heavy-lift helicopter and its components will soon represent a significant portion of FRCE’s operations.
FRCE Conducts Test Run of CH-53K Engine Disassembly
By | March 23, 2023
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently opened a new chapter in the depot’s engine program with its first disassembly of the T408 engine, which powers the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) Bearing Shop work leader Justin Parrish prepares a bearing for cleaning. FRCE’s Bearing Shop refurbishes hundreds of bearings each week, turning out several thousand each month. The shop works with nearly 5,000 different part numbers ranging from bearings used on CH-53 helicopters to those used in military hovercraft variants. (Photo by Joe Andes, Fleet Readiness Center East Public Affairs)
FRCE Bearing Shop Supports the Fleet One Bearing at a Time
By | March 23, 2023
Fleet Readiness Center East’s Bearing Shop is a place where success or failure can be measured in thousandths of an inch. In this shop, bearings—used on vehicles that operate in the air, on land and at sea—are inspected, measured and analyzed with a painstaking attention to detail by a small team of highly trained professionals.

An HH-46 Pedro search and rescue helicopter on display after two Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) artisans repaired damaged windows on the Havelock, North Carolina landmark. (U.S. Navy photo)
FRCE Artisans Earn Kudos for Repairing Damaged Vintage Aircraft
By Fleet Readiness Center East | Dec. 21, 2022
A pair of Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) artisans recently got a chance to step back in time while doing a good deed for the community.

A recently overhauled CH-53 helicopter flies out of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina. The aircrew consists of Marines from Fleet Readiness Center East’s (FRCE) H-53 Military Branch.
FRCE’s H-53 Military Branch Keeps the Fleet Ready to Fight
By Fleet Readiness Center East | Dec. 21, 2022
The CH-53 Sea Stallion and MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters have been mainstays of the Navy and Marine Corps for decades. On any day, these heavy lift helicopters can be seen around the world performing a wide variety of critical missions.

The first F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft to undergo the Service Life Modification (SLM) procedure at a naval aviation depot is pictured at the FRCSW testline June 29. The aircraft, assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 106, will undergo induction for the SLM that will extend the airframe’s flight hours from 6,000 to 7,500. The procedure is estimated to take about 17 months.
FRCSW First Depot to Tackle Super Hornet Service Life Modification
By | Oct. 3, 2022
When the artisans, engineers and support staff of Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) inducted their final F/A-18 legacy (A-D model) Hornet fighter to undergo the Center Barrel Replacement (CBR) procedure last March, they probably thought they could take a break.

The Helicopter Blade Balance Facility’s whirl tower has traditionally been used to balance helicopter rotor blades at Fleet Readiness Center East. However, the H-53K program is opting to use the universal static balance fixture (USBF) instead of the whirl tower to balance its blades, because the USBF can accommodate the increased length and weight of the blades for the new helicopter.
FRCE Moves Into Future With New Helicopter Blade Balancing System
By | Oct. 3, 2022
Rotor blades for the CH-53K King Stallion helicopter that arrive for rework at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) will be balanced on a new system that will save about $18 million by eliminating the need for building a new testing facility.

Members of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast who supported Rolls-Royce in the F405 engine recovery effort pose for a photograph at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Fla.
FRCSE Steps Up to Support Rolls-Royce in Meeting Fleet Requirements
By | Oct. 3, 2022
More than 40 artisans with Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) were deployed to Naval Air Station (NAS) Kingsville, Texas, during a year-long effort to assist Rolls-Royce in meeting the fleet demand of 145 ready-for-issue (RFI) F405 engines powering the T-45 Goshawk.

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast’s ground check crew recovers a Navy T-6A aircraft, the first aircraft operated beneath the new Ground Check Huts, after a successful post-ACI Functional Checkflight.
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast Launches Ground Check Huts
By | Oct. 3, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) recently received five new environmental protection shelters or ground check huts. The shelters aren’t just new to FRCSE, but they are the first of their kind aboard Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.

WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA (March 29, 2019) Two EA-18G Growlers from squadron VAQ-136 taxi toward the runway at Ault Field as they prepare to take off.
FRCSW Sets Sights on Growler Mishap Repair
By | Oct. 3, 2022
Less than 35 days after inducting a CMV-22 Osprey aircraft to repair a crack to an inner skin panel, Fleet Readiness Center Southwest’s (FRCSW) unique refurbishing capabilities and resources were tapped by the Navy once again—this time to repair an EA-18G Growler involved in a flight deck mishap.

Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) artisans ready an MV-22 Osprey for “ground turn” which is an essential operational test of all of the aircraft’s systems and components. This is one of the last major steps that must be accomplished before this aircraft can be determined to be “Safe for Flight.”
FRCE Marks Maintenance Firsts with V-22 Repairs
By | Oct. 3, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) is gearing up to return an MV-22 Osprey to the fleet after conducting a wing-off stow ring replacement on the aircraft, the first completion of this procedure by a Naval Aviation depot. In another inaugural depot-level repair, FRCE artisans tackled corrosion on the aircraft’s K-fittings with the wing off, rather than the standard wing-on method; this required a novel approach to the process.

Steven Cope, left, and Joe Shanda, both members of the Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) F-35 Rapid Response Team (RRT), perform maintenance on an F-35C for Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VFMA-314) aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, underway in the Indo-Pacific region. The FRCE artisans deployed to the aircraft carrier to assist with fixes that were beyond the scope of the organizational-level repairs provided by squadron maintainers.
FRCE’s F-35 Rapid Response Team Makes Global Impact on Flight Line Readiness
By | Oct. 3, 2022
As the number of operational F-35 Lightning II aircraft in the Navy and Marine Corps continues to rise, the number of missions flown increases—and with them, the requirements for maintenance and repair. The requirement for in-service repair and the need to mend battle damage don’t always come at a convenient time, or in a convenient location, and that’s where the F-35 Rapid Response Team (RRT) comes in. This team of highly skilled, cross-trained aircraft maintenance professionals stands ready to answer the call for support anywhere in the world at any time.

Kristopher Kirksey, a quality assurance specialist at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), and Jeff Ellman, FRCE ordinance and survival shop work leader, inspect an ejection seat parachute for the F-35B Lightning II.
FRCE Declares Capabilities on Next Round of F-35 Components
By | Oct. 3, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) has expanded its support of next-generation Naval Aviation by declaring capabilities on a new round of F-35 components. These capabilities build upon the 17 F-35 components the depot previously declared capabilities on in 2020.

The VRM-30 CMV-22 Osprey inducted by FRCSW on Jan. 13 is pictured in Building 333. The inner composite skin of the aircraft suffered a 4-foot-by-2-foot crack during a mishap. FRCSW, FST, the V-22 program office and industry partners developed a repair plan to return the aircraft to its squadron.
FRCSW Inducts First CMV-22 to Suffer Mishap
By | May 11, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) artisans and the Fleet Support Team (FST) recently joined industry partners and the V-22 Joint Program Office to prevent the loss of an CMV-22 Osprey aircraft which had suffered damage during a mishap.

Aquiles Faustino, right, a safety specialist at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), speaks with Samuel Foreman, an electrical equipment repairer at FRCE, during a safety site survey. Site surveys like these play an important role in FRCE’s safety program. FRCE closed out calendar year 2021 with the lowest number of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable mishaps in the depot’s history.
FRCE Achieves Safety Milestone in 2021
By | May 11, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) closed out calendar year 2021 with the lowest number of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recordable mishaps in the depot’s history.

Rob Wansker (right), FRCE V-22 Power and Propulsion Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) senior engineer, and Derek Britton, mechanical engineer in the APU group, examine a clutch servo-valve filter for a V-22 APU. The APU group recently developed a process to clean and recertify these filters for use after supply issues made the critical part temporarily unavailable to the fleet.
Creative Engineering Solution at FRCE Overcomes Shortage of V-22 APU Filters
By | May 11, 2022
A supply shortage of clutch servo-valve filters for V-22 Osprey auxiliary power units (APU) threatened to keep a number of aircraft on the ground, until the APU group of the V-22 Fleet Support Team at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) found a way to clean the disposable filters and reinstall them on the aircraft.

A V-22 Osprey recently flown from Okinawa, Japan, is temporarily parked on the flight line at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan, while final induction coordination occurs between FRC WESTPAC, NIPPI Corporation, and the flight crew of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 265.
FRC WESTPAC Inducts First Marine V-22 for Maintenance with New Contractor
By | May 11, 2022
Fleet Readiness Center Western Pacific (FRC WESTPAC) is inducting its first Marine Corps V-22 Osprey with Japanese industrial partner, NIPPI Corporation, for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services at their facility in Yamato, Japan.