One Million Tonka!

[Flying_Anorak]

Hi,

A glider pilot friend of mine who has relocated near Newtonmore in Scotland has asked me about a Tonka that has been seen recently with '1,000,000' painted in white on the fin.

I presume that it relates to one million flying hours, but any one able to add any more details please? I'm guessing it's in RAF service rather than this particular cab or even squadron!

Cheers,

Paul.

[jamesdevice]

its the price they had to pay when they bought the spare fin back from the scrapyard. They needed it in such a hurry they didn't have time to wash the price mark off

the owners of the scrap yards around Lossie must be killing themselves laughing

[Squealing Pig]

Whats a Tonka?

[oldmansquipper]

...I am led to believe it is actually a second hand sale price - an extension of the governments recent "Used Jet sale". Look closely & you will see the remaining air tax and MOT detail and the words "Buy now - very few left......" :ooh:

[500N]

I read it in one of the UK newspapers today with a picture of the plane.

Google one million tornado and it will come up.

Just saw this on the google list.
Ministry of Defence | Defence News | Equipment and Logistics | Tornado ground attack jets clock up one million flying hours (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/TornadoGroundAttackJetsClockUpOneMillionFlyingHours.htm)

[Courtney Mil]

1,000,000th times BAES has pulled the wool over the MoD's eyes.

1,000,000 bonus payments to BAES executives.

One of these, SP...

http://www.projectoceanvision.com/temp/Tornado-1000-hours.jpg

[jamesdevice]

So assuming all 228 GR1 Tornados were in use for all that time, it averages out as 4386 hours per airframe. But as we know only 142 became GR4, so the average of the surviving aircraft must be higher, perhaps double
So what the fatigue life of a Tornado?
What was the average airframe hours of the Harrier?

[Courtney Mil]

JD,

I have no idea about Harrier, but I think I recall that Tornado strarted out with an airframe life of 4,000 flying hours and an estimated 20-25 years. Obviously that could be changed in-life by fatigue testing and monitoring - it's possible to burn fatigue quicker or slower depending on how you fly it, how much kit you hang on it, etc.

Now, I was an F3 man rather than GR, but IIRC they did some work to extend it initially to 5,000 hours and then to 8,000, so a way to go yet. FI in the F3 was a very different and rather tragic story.

Typhoon is lifed at 6,000 hours so they were looking at getting that extended.

Courtney

[Pontius Navigator]

So assuming all 228 GR1 Tornados were in use for all that tim, it averages out as 4386 hours per airframe. But as we know only 142 became GR2

JD, GR1 became GR4.

F3 replaced F2.

[jamesdevice]

sorry - stupid typo corrected now
typing faster than thinking

[thefodfather]

While we are all having a go. Is 1,000,000 the amount of man hours it took to get the fin fuel system working.

[Mach Two]

The number of times I've told you not to exaggerate.

[Col_onHF]

Harriers (i guess you mean the plastic ones) varied wildly - some were written off with only 100's of hours on them (some even less) and others were over 4000 odd IIRC by the end,

[jamesdevice]

so on average they - probably - had more fatigue life left that the Tornado fleet?

[Lima Juliet]

Whoopie do Tornado! Now this is impressive IMHO...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Apr 06, 2010

Predator- Series UAS Family Achieves One Million Flight Hours

GA-ASI Continues to Lead the Industry in Delivering Unmatched Soldier Support

SAN DIEGO, CA — General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA‑ASI), a leading manufacturer of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), tactical reconnaissance radars, and surveillance systems, today announced that its Predator®-series UAS has reached a historic industry milestone, with combat missions over the past weekend pushing its proven aircraft family over the one million flight hours mark. The milestone encompasses just under 80,000 total missions, with over 85-percent of all missions flown in combat.

“The business of GA-ASI is the development of transformational systems which deliver paradigm changing results,” said J. Neal Blue, Chairman and CEO, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. “The achievement of this historic milestone is a testament to the success enjoyed by Predator-series unmanned aircraft systems – clearly one of the game changers and life savers of the day.”

The identification of the specific aircraft and customer that achieved the milestone will not be known until mid-May due to delayed flight hours reporting from the field. Predator-series UAS are in constant daily operations supporting the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, NASA, the Italian Air Force, the U.K.’s Royal Air Force, and other customers. Over 400 aircraft have been produced since the first Predator UAS took flight in 1994, including Predator A, I-GNAT® ER/Sky Warrior® Alpha, Predator B/MQ-9 Reaper, Sky Warrior, and Predator C Avenger®, among others.

“This combined customer accomplishment reflects the high demand that in-theater commanders have for the Predator product, as well as the exceptional contributions of our employees, suppliers, and partners,” said Frank Pace, newly appointed president of GA-ASI’s Aircraft Systems Group.

Predator-series flight hours have seen tremendous growth in recent years, with annual totals increasing from 80,000 hours in 2006, to 130,000 hours in 2007, 235,000 hours in 2008, and 295,000 hours in 2009. The one million flight hours milestone also comes at a time of great synergy for GA-ASI and its major customers, with the U.S. Air Force announcing on March 12 that it has surpassed 700,000 flight hours for the MQ-1B Predator UAS and the U.S. Army revealing that it is on track to mark one million flight hours for its UAS inventory this month.

“As Col. Greg Gonzalez and Maj. Gen. James Myles noted in announcing the Army’s upcoming UAS flight hours milestone, the real achievement is what one million represents – one million hours of operating a technology that keeps our soldiers safer and enables them and their commanders to see the enemy and themselves in ways they never could before,” added Pace.

Predator-series aircraft are currently logging nearly 30,000 flight hours a month supporting U.S. coalition forces in combat and with homeland security requirements. Every second of every day, 40 aircraft are airborne worldwide providing persistent surveillance and precision strike support in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other world hot spots; protecting the nation’s borders; and conducting humanitarian assistance and disaster relief support following wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes. These aircraft continue to maintain the highest operational availability rates not only in U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army aviation, but also in the U.K. inventory. GA-ASI is currently building eight Predator-series UAS and seven ground control stations (GCS) per month, with the capacity to double production.

In less than 4 years one of our MQ-9s has beaten the Tornado fleet leader and has probably delivered more ordinance on operations.

LJ:hmm:

PS And I say this as a Tornado mate with the best part of 1800 hours.

[NutLoose]

I believe the 1,000,000 refers to the attempts tp get the decal on level and they still failed...:E

[Buster Hyman]

Does 1,000,000 flying hours equate to 30,000,000 desk hours as well?

[Just This Once...]

LJ I think the GR fleet leader still has more hours on it than the Reaper fleet leader and the max life of Reaper has not changed since you left. The MQ-9 fleet is not immortal and needs investment just like any other fleet to keep it going, otherwise they will become rather tired.

[Mach Two]

Whenever we scrap a type, we always end up throwing away countless FI/FH. Some of the old F4s, I'm told, had a lot left, as did Harrier and F3. At least the Harrier's remaining life is going somewhere and some of the F3's parts were recyclable to the GR. It's always sad to see airframes scrapped when there's so much life in them.

[Mach Two]

I know it can't be helped, if a/c must be scrapped. I just find it sad - that is simple.

[Mach Two]

Hear, hear. That's not just sad, it's utter madness. A sign of a totally disjointed defence policy and too hasty a change of direction.

No, you're right, let's not get started on that!

[NutLoose]

Exactly Mach One,

That is why it is so sad there are about 4 VC 10's presently at Bruntinthorpe being reduced to produce, such a sad loss when they are just coming into their prime... :E


The Tucano's that were flogged off to the USA BTW had an average of only 800 hours on them!

[Easy Street]

Tornado is the last UK fast jet on which it's possible to make structural repairs by welding / drilling / cutting / bolting the frame, and panel-beating the skin. This makes it somewhat easier to run-on into its twilight years than the modern generation of aircraft with composite structures throughout. The Harrier II was an early step along this path but obviously things like Typhoon and F35 will be much, much harder to make big repairs or life extension modifications to.

Watch the manufacturers' cash registers ker-ching in future - whether for expensive repair programmes or for replacing aircraft that are not economically viable to re-engineer (Typhoon tranche 1 anyone?)

[Courtney Mil]

Easy Street,

You are absolutely right. Along the same lines, how do they repair leading edge birdstrike damage? Who want's to go near a crash site with all those composites drifting around?

I guess it's either Airfix plastic cement or just replace parts. You could end up with an original Typhoon that's had its fuselage, wings and tail replaced three times!

Bets on when Typhoon clocks up a million?

[threeputt]

A bit like Trigger's broom then!

3P:ok:

[Courtney Mil]

Thank you. That was exactly what I was trying to think of, 3P. :ok:

[TEEEJ]

From the Air Combat Power Visit Role Demo back in September at RAF Waddington.

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6153/6192724416_2e5f20dd1d_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40812808@N06/6192724416/)
TORNADO-GR4-DSC_0061 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40812808@N06/6192724416/) by llihmot (http://www.flickr.com/people/40812808@N06/), on Flickr

http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6156/6192713498_622665f8a4_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40812808@N06/6192713498/)
TORNADO-GR4-DSC_0067 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40812808@N06/6192713498/) by llihmot (http://www.flickr.com/people/40812808@N06/), on Flickr

[flipperthebush]

Also worth remembering that the low hour airframes on scrapped fleets are often the dogs which spent most of their life in the hangar as christmas trees.

[alwayslookingup]

TEEEJ, at least you had a role demo at Waddo. Leuchars 2011 she was firmly on the ground (in the background, at least, missus in the front, bless her).



http://i844.photobucket.com/albums/ab7/wideblueyonder/th_100911-V-01.jpg

[P6 Driver]

In less than 4 years one of our MQ-9s has beaten the Tornado fleet leader and has probably delivered more ordinance on operations.



Whoopie do indeed - on that basis, are you in favour of doing away with manned aircraft and going exclusively "drone"?
:rolleyes: