My 2 cents....engines are starting to deteriorate for the tanker, so going to the CFM56's isn't possible, nor would it make sense now, with them being over 20 years old in most cases, and I've also heard the AF is running short of them.

 

It would just seem like the AF would've upgraded the engines on a valuable asset such as the E-3. Then again, we're talking about the AF. Same can be said about putting -229's in all F-15's or going all F110's.

 

When I worked the R models at Fairchild, 93 to 03, the engines were a maintenance dream. 300 hrs on them, on average, when I arrived and 3 to 5000 hrs when I left. The engines were extremely reliable. I only dropped 4 engines during my time there, and those drops were caused by a coating in the 7th, 8th, and 9th stage that would come apart and FOD the engine. The flightline did a couple engine drops due to engine ground strikes. Both engines were put back up on the wing after the strut was inspected and the fan ducts were replaced. I saw several bird strikes and I also was on a post phase engine run that experienced a compressor stall at TRT. (shifted the plane about 6 ft sideways) I never droped an engine due to bird strike or the compressor stall. I felt the compressor stalled engine should have been dropped, but tech data showed the damage that was done to the 9th stage compressor was all within limits.

I talked with a GE tech rep and he said that there is a clip that holds the HPT Clearance Control Shroud that is/was going to 100% fail due to erosion. I have also talked with former co-worker and he said that the engines are definatly showing their age now. Said the Control Shroud is causing high EGT on engine starts.

 

The government has a budgeting process?

 

The AWACs fleet is too small...~30 a/c, and won't see the returns that the tanker fleet gets-not to mention any volume discount. The depot engineers have also told me it would require a wing mod to support the CFM.

Keep in mind the AWACS is based on a 707, not 720 (-135)

For now be happy there's (kinda) a new mission computing system coming on board and some fresh seats...hopefully a satellite will being doing AWACS job soon.

 

How large is the RC fleet at OF?

 

About 20 RC's

 

An area I am qualified to speak in....in the words of one of my first E-3 IPs, " why would the AF put a new engine in an old POS car? They are just going to run it till it totally dies, then go with some sort of UAV or newer/smaller plane like the BD700." Like others have said, we are the step-children of ACC, and the mission crew gets the toys. These engines drink gas! I was/am shocked at the burn rates compared to the KC135.

 

Yep, and it's the same issue there -- if we had the $ to spend on re-engining the entire fleet, that money would be spent on getting new radars or new pods across the fleet first.

About 10 years ago I saw the actual list of prioritized, approved but un-funded upgrades for the F-15E. It was about 5 pages of single-spaced line items. New engines were not on the first page of that list.