'3 Amigos' F-16 upgrades completed at Hill

摘要

A FINAL F-16 has been redelivered to the USAF after undergoing work on the so-called '3 Amigos' modification line, run by the 573rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron (AMXS) at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex, Hill Air Force Base, Utah. A first F-16 modified was completed in March 2013 and the programme provided three structural Time Compliance Technical Order modifications and incorporated modifications including updates to the centre display unit, helmet-mounted integrated targeting and beyond line-of sight communication. The first F-16 modified was completed in March 2013. At the height of production, 18 aircraft were on the line at one time. In total, more than 300 F-16s received the modifications, including 24 Foreign Military Sales aircraft for the Indonesian Air Force. During the life of the programme, the workload evolved from inspecting and doing minor repairs at an average of 1,795 hours to more elaborate repairs that included replacing bulkhead segments, which increased the average hours by 59% to 2,863 hours.