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F110-129: The end of an era

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt Keanen McKinley
  • 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  Farewells are often bittersweet.

As the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex welcomes the F117, F135, and F137 engines, the OC-ALC must part with a large chunk of its F110-129B workload. For over 22 years, the 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group, one of the groups within the OC-ALC, has refurbished and tested the F110-129 at Tinker AFB.

The General Electric F110-129B powers the F-16C/D aircraft and produces nearly 30,000 pounds of thrust. It was designated as an Improved Performance Engine and designed to replace the F110-100, which suffered issues with its combustor and compressor blades (later resolved).

Pratt & Whitney challenged GE's -129 variant with its own F100-229 IPE in what the media dubbed "The Great Engine War." The "War" included several annual engine competitions that eventually ended in 1992. During the last competition, the AF was expecting to acquire 24 F-16C/D aircraft in the upcoming fiscal year; so HQ USAF split the engine requirement between the two contractors: 12 F110-129s and 12 F100-229s were purchased.

The OC-ALC, however, was already planning for the arrival of the F110-129 in 1989. In
August of that same year, the first Depot Maintenance Activation Team scheduled depot activation of the F110-129 for January 1992. Meanwhile, the engine joined the Comprehensive Engine Manage-ment System inventory in 1991. CEMS is an AF world-wide electronic engine data tracking system, allowing engine managers and users to maintain visibility of the engine.

In late 1991, production of the F110-100 declined as GE focused on producing the F110-129. Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm reduced the number of spare F110s available for installation, but the OC-ALC maintained the Headquarters Air Force Logistics Command (now Air Force Materiel Command) standard of 90%.

Throughout its long history of maintaining the F110-129, the OC-ALC continuously sought to improve its processes. The Complex completed an Analytical Condition Inspection in fiscal year 1998, for instance, to determine the fleet's condition and safely increase inspection intervals. At one point in 2004, the percentage of spare engines not ready for installation was even down to zero percent. The high ops tempo of the Global War on Terror increased the average time-on-wing rate and the F110-129 availability took a small dip in 2006, but currently remains high.

One of the most recent successes of the F110 was the Service Life Extension Program. The SLEP extended the engine's life to 2025 and gave the F110-129 its new and present designation: F110-129B. Along with SLEP, in 2010 the -129B received a new Modernized Digital Engine Control. The MDEC is the "brain" of the engine and has greatly improved reliability and data recording capabilities. These two improvements certainly modernized the engine, and will ensure it remains operational for years to come.

The future of the F110-129B is still largely unwritten. The 76th Propulsion Maintenance Group will continue repairing modules, or sections of the engine, but will no longer refurbish and test whole engines. Field units will continue repairing engines as they normally have.

Although it's evident the F110-129B has had a long, remarkable history and will continue adding chapters to its story for at least another decade, perhaps not so obvious is the impact the engine has had on the workforce charged with maintaining it. The work of these individuals--like the roar of the F110-129B--will certainly echo throughout history.

Farewells are often bittersweet, but rarely are they so quiet.

(Information derived from the Histories of the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center for Fiscal Years 1989 - 2012.)