Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently hosted the military official responsible for F-35 sustainment logistics and engineering efforts for the fifth-generation fighter aircraft.
Air Force Maj. General Donald K. Carpenter, director of the Lightning Sustainment Center for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Program Office, visited FRCE Jan. 24 in order to tour the depot’s F-35 components and air vehicle modification lines and familiarize himself with depot operations that support the F-35’s mission readiness. The engagement allowed FRCE to provide Carpenter with updates on current and future F-35 sustainment initiatives at the depot, including component capabilities development and planned facilities and infrastructure expansion, said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. James M. Belmont.
“As the role of the F-35 continues to expand in the national defense, so does our support of the platform,” Belmont explained. “Our skilled artisans, engineers and logisticians are able to provide the nation’s warfighters with the services they need, when and where they need them, and that ability only grows with every new F-35 related capability and facility established at our depot.
“It’s exciting to have the opportunity to show Major General Carpenter just how far we’ve come since the inception of the F-35 program at FRC East, and provide him with a road map of where we’re headed in the future,” Belmont continued. “The work we do at FRC East is critical to the F-35 platform, and I’m proud to provide the major general with a first-hand look at how our team’s sustainment efforts enable mission readiness.”
FRCE is the lead site for depot-level maintenance on the F-35B Lightning II and has conducted modifications and repair on the Marine Corps’ short takeoff-vertical landing variant of the aircraft since 2013. The depot has also worked with the F-35A (conventional takeoff and landing) and F-35C (carrier) variants. In 2018, FRCE began establishing capabilities supporting a variety of components for the aircraft, with current ability to modify or repair 32 parts and plans to and an additional 42 in 2024. Construction is under way for additional F-35 support infrastructure, including vertical lift fan test and processing facilities scheduled to come online later this year, with plans for the addition of an F-35 aircraft sustainment complex that will more than triple the dock space currently available for F-35 modifications at FRCE.
“It’s exciting to see the expansion of the F-35 capabilities and capacity under way at FRC East and learn more about how the depot and its workforce are positioned to enhance F-35 readiness,” said Carpenter, a former jet engine mechanic and flight engineer. “After meeting with Captain Belmont and touring the components shops and air vehicle modification line, I’m coming away with a more in-depth understanding of the depot’s ability to support sustainment of our growing F-35 fleet. The workforce here is exceptional, and it was great to hear directly from them how they see the sustainment efforts here continuing to improve.”
At the Lightning Sustainment Center, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Carpenter leads a team of nearly 400 personnel who support F-35 sustainment planning and operations for the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force, along with seven partner nations, nine foreign military sales countries, and five industry contractors. Currently, the team supports sustainment of more than 950 Joint Strike Fighters and the planning/integration of more than 1,200 additional aircraft by 2027.
“The F-35 is the cornerstone of our nation’s future fighter fleet, and its presence makes an operational impact every single day,” Carpenter said. “As we continue fielding more fifth-generation fighters, sustainment operations will become increasingly important, and so will the role of commands like FRC East in helping the Joint Program Office maintain an environment of comprehensive sustainment excellence. I have no doubt that FRC East, and the workers here, will continue to be an important piece of F-35 mission readiness well into the future.”
Belmont agreed that the work being done at FRCE now makes a real difference on flightlines across the globe, and will continue to grow with the F-35 fleet.
“The F-35 is the future of naval aviation, and we’re proud of the work we’ve done here at the depot to support our nation’s warfighters,” Belmont said. “As the number of F-35 aircraft and missions flown increase, so do the sustainment requirements – and the men and women of FRC East are ready and able to provide the service our nation’s military aviators need to meet the mission.”
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.