Behind their sophistication, stealth fighter jets and bombers have an interesting side that is rarely noticed, one of which is maintenance, which is not as easy as conventional fighter jets and bombers. Because stealth fighters come with a special paint coating, special treatment is needed to deal with stealth fighters, especially in sensitive and difficult to reach areas.
What is meant by this area is the air inlet, which is the hole where the air enters the engine. Quoted from machinedesign.com (27/9/2022), one of the US Air Force's most critical and time-consuming tasks is keeping its aircraft fleet well-maintained and operating. Especially on the B-2 Spirit and F-22 Raptor, it is to keep the radar absorbent layer clean and smooth.
Speaking of the case with the twin-engine, layer-defending F-22 Raptor, which helps maximize its stealth and survivability, the ground crew admits it's very difficult to do in the air inlet.
The air intake ensures a smooth flow of air into the engine even if turbulent air is coming from the ducts from several directions. During flight, it is very possible for small objects or dirt to be sucked into the engine at high speed, which is likely to cause scratches on the surface of the air inlet.
Well, in order to keep the stealth fighter jet performing optimally, it is standard procedure for the Air Force to periodically update the channel. The steps taken are sanding the weathered layer and installing a new one.
However, did you know that since 2016, the US Air Force has been using robots from Aerobotix to handle these tasks. Aerobotix received funding from the Air Force Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer to develop a robotic painting system on the F-22.
Robotic solutions can restore the performance of the coating on the air inlet much more quickly, cost-effectively, and accurately, than manual techniques.
The automatic painting system for the F-22 uses two robots working at the front and back ends of the channel to sand and coat it. Three of these systems have been installed at the F-22 Depot at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex headquarters at Hill Air Force Base, Utah.
“Our robotic technology can paint the inlet using only about 300 man-hours instead of the 1,600 hours it would take to do it manually,” said Bret Benvenuti, senior robotics engineer at Aerobotix.
“That's a labor saving of about 80 percent, so it really helps solve the challenge of getting these planes back into service faster. And we estimate that since 2016, it has helped the Air Force save $8.8 million, that is, $220,000 per aircraft, in maintenance costs."
The presence of the robot can also improve accuracy and quality control, giving the updated F-22 a slower radar signature.
Manually resurfacing the inlet requires maintenance workers to wear protective clothing and respirators and spend hundreds of hours crawling through them on their hands and knees. Under such conditions, it is almost impossible for workers to manually apply the coating with consistent speed and thickness.
With robots, better results can be achieved while also limiting the amount of rework required and the number of injuries to workers.
Apart from that, the robot also saves money on materials. For example, they spray more coats before the pot's life ends, significantly reducing waste. “Coating material costs around US$1,000 per gallon, and more efficient use can save about US$40,000 per aircraft, according to Aerobotix.
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