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Old plane, new part

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tori Schultz
  • 6th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  For over 50 years, the KC-135 Stratotanker has been an integral part of the world-wide aerial refueling mission...but from time to time, this aging airframe needs minor touch-ups.

Recently, MacDill was selected as a pilot base for a new replacement part called the Improved Nose Wheel Snubber Brake.

The KC-135 uses a snubber brake system to eliminate noise and vibration when the nose landing gear is retracted, which currently cost the Air Force $350,000 in parts and labor every year on average.

Throughout the years, the brake arms have experienced fatigue cracks around the mounting holes due to the limited surface area needed for stress distribution. Subsequently, this part is typically replaced every seven years due to the deficiency.

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center/Legacy Tanker Division designed the Improved Nose Wheel Snubber Brake to address this deficiency by making the mounting portion of the spring arm thicker and wider.

To coincide with the replacement, the Air Mobility Command Test and Evaluation Squadron constructed a two phase Logistics Service Test, which evaluates the operational effectiveness and suitability of the INWSB.

The first phase, which occurred in August, consisted of the 6th MXG personnel installing one set of INSWB arms. Phase two will consist of normal aircraft operations with routine inspections for a period of six months to include no less than 50 sorties. At the end of the testing period, the INWSB arms will be removed and receive a thorough product quality inspection.

With the success of this part the Air Force could potential save  $330,000 per year, per aircraft and remove certain inspections entirely.