{"id":366955,"date":"2025-02-04T13:49:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-04T14:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=366955"},"modified":"2025-02-04T16:11:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-04T16:11:40","slug":"frce-supports-marine-f-35-recovery-training","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=366955","title":{"rendered":"FRCE supports Marine F-35 recovery training"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><\/div>\n<p>How does a Marine Corps unit train to recover a downed fighter, when no downed fighter is available to recover? At Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), a unique depot training asset helped Marines gain real-world experience in recovering a damaged F-35B Lightning II without risking harm to an operational aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>FRCE recently partnered with Marine Wing Support Squadron 271 (MWSS-271) to assist with the squadron\u2019s F-35 familiarization and aircraft salvage and recovery training. The collaboration with FRCE allowed MWSS-271 access to a stripped-down F-35 airframe used for training and testing at the depot, along with the knowledge and expertise provided by FRCE artisans and engineers who support the F-35 modification program.<\/p>\n<p>According to Chief Warrant Officer 2 Joseph Durand, the MWSS-271 Heavy Equipment Platoon leader who also serves as the squadron\u2019s salvage and recovery officer, the three-day training simulated the recovery of an F-35 with collapsed front landing gear. The event consisted of three phases: learning proper F-35 lifting procedures through an introductory crane lift; stowing the front landing gear and using the crane to rest the aircraft\u2019s nose on a temporary structure to simulate landing gear failure; and finally, establishing a controlled recovery site and recovering the aircraft.<\/p>\n<p>While the training event simulated one specific set of circumstances, Durand said it included techniques that can be implemented in a wide variety of recovery scenarios, both in garrison environments and at forward locations.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRecovery has so many different scenarios, and the F-35 is a fairly new aircraft; recovery on this platform hasn\u2019t really been conducted in a broad manner across the Marine Corps,\u201d Durand explained. \u201cWe\u2019re training to educate on how pertinent it is to be able to recover an F-35, the practices that go into that recovery and the hazards that come along with it. We\u2019re really stressing the need for that aircraft to be able to get back into the air and do its job.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we\u2019re looking forward to is being able to conduct this same recovery scenario, whether it be a front landing gear that went down or something more catastrophic, no matter where it happens,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe need to be able to get that bird back into the fight, and do it in a safe manner that doesn\u2019t harm the aircraft or the individuals working to recover it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FRCE\u2019s ability to provide a nonoperational airframe for use in the Marines\u2019 training offered the squadron unique advantages, said F-35 Branch Head Ike Rettenmair.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving an asset like this airframe on hand is really beneficial in terms of allowing for training without the concern of potentially damaging an operational aircraft,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile you plan for everything to go perfectly during a training event, there\u2019s always the chance that mistakes could be made; that\u2019s why there\u2019s training in the first place, to provide that learning experience.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUsing an airframe that isn\u2019t an operational aircraft helps provide a real-world, hands-on experience \u2013 everything looks, feels and moves the same \u2013 without the added pressure that comes from working with an aircraft that needs to be back on the flight line the later that day,\u201d Rettenmair added.<\/p>\n<p>Working with MWSS-271 to support the squadron\u2019s activities also benefitted the FRCE team, Rettenmair explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSupporting MWSS-271\u2019s training not only allowed their Marines to advance their F-35 aircraft recovery skills, it also gave our team the opportunity to sharpen their expertise while serving as subject-matter experts,\u201d he said. \u201cDeveloping a way to simulate a landing gear failure, for example, presented a challenge that the team proved ready to tackle. Teaching the Marines the proper way to crane lift the aircraft provided our artisans and engineers the opportunity to refresh their skills, as well. This really was a win-win situation for everyone involved.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Durand agreed that the partnership between the squadron and FRCE yielded positive outcomes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s extremely effective for us to drive just 15 minutes down the road to FRC East and be able to execute training with all of our partners in the warfighting effort,\u201d he said. \u201cIt makes it extremely reliable for us to be able to conduct additional training as scenarios start to develop across the nation and around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The F-35 airframe used in this exercise, which arrived to FRCE in early 2021, has also seen use as a training aid in the depot. Its status as a readiness enhancer is not limited to supporting recovery training.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have also used the airframe for artisan and engineer training at FRC East, although the depot maintenance environment is definitely different than an operational unit,\u201d Rettenmair said. \u201cFor us, the airframe serves as a training aid that helps us improve processes and procedures, which can in turn drive down the modification turnaround times and enable us to return completed aircraft to the fleet sooner than planned.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>FRCE is the lead site for depot-level maintenance on the F-35B Lightning II and has conducted modifications and repair on the Marine Corps\u2019 short takeoff-vertical landing variant of the aircraft since 2013. The depot also performs work on the Navy\u2019s F-35C carrier variant and the Air Force\u2019s conventional takeoff and landing F-35A variant.<\/p>\n<p>FRCE is North Carolina&#8217;s largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How does a Marine Corps unit train to recover a downed fighter, when no downed fighter is available to recover? At Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), a unique depot training asset helped Marines gain real-world experience in recovering a damaged F-35B Lightning II without risking harm to an operational aircraft. FRCE recently partnered with Marine [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":366957,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-366955","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=366955"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366955\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":366958,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366955\/revisions\/366958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/366957"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=366955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=366955"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=366955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}