By Denise Deon TEAM Public Affairs, F/A-18
October 25, 2000

After a high of 80 downed F/A-18 aircraft across all series due to landing gear supply shortages in the summer of 1999, the posture has dramatically improved to only 10 aircraft downed as of October 2000.

"This was truly a team effort between the Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP), NAVAIR, and Boeing. And I can't say enough about our domestic vendors. They really stepped up," said NAVICP's F/A-18 Integrated Weapons Support Team (IWST) head, Lt. Col. Steve Watkins in describing how this difficult situation was turned around.

"We sat down and studied the problem, developed short- and long-term strategies, plans for each strategy, and didn't deviate from our plans. We were tenacious," the LTCOL added.

The supply posture of the F/A-18 landing gear was primarily hampered by the contract delivery delinquency of a non-domestic, sole source vendor. The three main drivers holding up production were the secondary piston, entire shock assembly, and cylinder.

As the downed aircraft and backorder situation began to worsen, a team of Navy engineering and supply chain management specialists conducted side visits to the plant in question while concurrently developing domestic sources.

NAVICP held an F/A-18 Landing Gear Symposium in July 1999. Seventeen vendors attended, as well as various Defense Logistics Activities (DLA). As a result of this symposium, several new domestic sources have been developed and are already delivering critical material.

In addition, the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) started to recondition and salvage some traditionally consumable parts in order to get landing gear production back online.

As spares contracts with two new domestic vendors began to ship in the spring and summer of 2000, the supply situation started to get better.

But the work is not yet complete.

A multi-vendor, multi-component, and multi-quantity long-term contract (LTC) is in the evaluation process.

"We want to really develop a good industrial base and keep a large industrial base viable with work," said LTCOL Watkins.

In addition, engineering efforts continue to improve landing gear reliability.

"It is extremely gratifying that this severe fleet readiness degrading situation was so expeditiously turned around," said Bill Taylor, NAVAIR F/A-18 Fleet Support Deputy Program Manager. "To go from 80 aircraft affected to less than 10 in this short period of time is a validation of the Hornet Government/Industry team's level of cooperation and effectiveness."