THE
Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) has completed
a four-year full-scale fatigue test of the empennage – the
rear section of the aircraft structure – of the P-3C Orion
aircraft.
Through its fatigue test, DSTO has made a major contribution to
a program aimed at ensuring that the P-3C aircraft can continue
to fly safely to at least its planned withdrawal date of 2015
and possibly beyond.
Director General Technical Airworthiness Air Commodore Noel Schmidt
has commended DSTO on its highly valuable and responsive contribution
to the P-3C Service Life Assessment Program (SLAP) – an international
collaborative program between four nations led by the United States
Navy – set up to determine the safe and economical service
life of the Orion.
“This large-scale aircraft structural test capability has
been developed over many years and has provided a significant
return on investment to a number of ADF aircraft fleets,”
AIRCDRE Schmidt said.
“The capability has also been widely recognised in a number
of international collaborative test ventures, and greatly enhanced
Australia’s standing in the military aerospace community.”
Phil Jackson, a key member of the DSTO team working on the project,
said, “Our testing, and that of our counterparts in the US,
Canada and the Netherlands, has enabled us to determine the structural
inspections, modifications and replacement actions that may be
necessary to ensure the P-3C Orion fleet achieves its maximum
service life.”
The testing by DSTO will help remove uncertainty regarding early
replacement of the aircraft, giving the ADF confidence that the
aircraft can, as a minimum, reach its planned withdrawal date.
