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.

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.

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.

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.

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 (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.

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) 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.

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.

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.