Technicians at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia have been working 10-hour days, seven days a week since getting approval Aug. 25 to produce new aileron actuator levers for T-38 trainers. Now, the ALC believes they will be able to boost their output from 50 levers per week to 75 and shift the completion date for 250 left-hand levers and 250 right-hand levers from the end of December to mid-November. The Air Force began the lever production effort when an accident investigation board cited the component as a contributing factor inthe fatal crash of a T-38 in April at Columbus AFB, Miss. The service’s other two ALCs—Ogden ALC in Utah and Oklahoma City ALC in Oklahoma—have been working the lever production, as well, to cover nearly 600 T-38s as quickly as possible. Because the original forgings for the parts to the 40-plus-year-old aircraft, the centers had to develop prototypes for the components, which require precise, intricate milling. (Robins report by Wayne Crenshaw)
While the Sentinel ICBM program writ large is undergoing a major restructure due to cost and schedule overages, prime contractor Northrop Grumman is touting progress on milestones with the missile itself.
