Aerospace Summit speakers discuss AF's aging aircraft

Published June 26, 2008
By Kelley Chambers

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- Maj. Gen. Loren M. Reno does not mince words when talking about the current state of aircraft the United States Air Force is flying every day, or the increasing costs to keep those aircraft flying.
   "Your United States Air Force fleet of aircraft is old," he said, adding that many aircraft on average are 23 years old.
   And in a current economic climate with shrinking budgets for defense, General Reno, commander of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, said recapitalization of some aircraft and convergence with private aerospace companies is crucial to supporting the military, its operations, and its war fighters.
   Hal Chrisman, principal at Michigan-based Aero Strategy Management Consulting, said the military and commercial aviation have both benefited from working together in the past, and must continue that relationship for both to thrive.
   He said the commercial sector has benefited from military technology just as the military also uses aircraft and technology originally created for private aviation.
   "Many of the engines that are powering commercial aircraft today are derived from military engines," Mr. Chrisman said.
   The two spoke about convergence between industry and aerospace at the seventh annual Aerospace Summit and Expo on Monday at the Cox Business Services Convention Center in downtown Oklahoma City.
   By merging distinct technologies, and the private sector handling government contracts, Chrisman said convergence can be achieved between the military and private industry to break down barriers.
   General Reno said in discussing unity or unison in relation to the military's dealings with private contractors, he favors unity.
   "From my perspective it is certainly movement and it is toward unity because we depend so much on our suppliers who give us and provide for us a product or services," he said. "I would probably stop short of the union part of that definition because the government will always be the one to set the requirements."
   And while the military sets the rules and issues the requests for proposal, General Reno said he wants the two to work together to ultimately support war fighters.
   "I'm all for breaking down the barriers," he said.
   But General Reno is faced daily with a shrinking bottom line, and the need to maintain aircraft that is decades old, like the KC-135 Stratotanker.
   "We built them when Eisenhower was in the White House," General Reno said. "That's been a while ago."
   The Air Force Web site shows many of the KC-135's have been modified over the years and used for refueling and also transporting items like litter and ambulatory patients. The site further shows the Air Mobility Command currently manages more than 481 of the planes, the first 29 of which were purchased in 1954.
   General Reno used the example that if an individual had a car that old they would likely keep it in a garage and drive it sparingly.
   "We're driving '57 tankers into combat today," he said. "Our aircraft are old and we need to replace them."
   In a constant effort to keep planes like the KC-135 serviced and flying, and other crucial functions carried out at the Air Logistics Center, General Reno said the military is constantly moving forward. General Reno said when the commercial sector crosses that path and provides a needed service that that is when convergence happens.
   And while the military can only contract 50 percent of its core workload, many services that had been outsourced are now being brought back and repatriated.
   But General Reno is open to work that is being done by the military that can be contracted out to the private sector.
   "I'm committed to looking at the workload that we have at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and deciding which of that workload we need to divest," he said.
   Mr. Chrisman said one of the companies that have successfully served the military and commercial market is Tulsa-based aerospace company The Nordam Group, Inc.
   Steve McLarty, vice president of sales for North and Latin America for Nordam, said his company has done a robust business in private aviation. Nevertheless, in light of record fuel prices, and a possible slowdown in private aviation, that convergence with the military is key to growing the business.
   "What was missing was our military side," he said. "Our leadership led us to the direction to go after the military side as the third leg of the stool"
   But General Reno warned that anyone doing business with the government must be aware of declining budgets and recapitalization when seeking government contracts.
   Mr. Chrisman added, however, that to foster ongoing discussions for convergence that the military and commercial aviation sectors must identify technologies, processes, and talents, that can be shared back and forth for both to thrive and accomplish their goals.