Originally Posted by
sandiego89
If all these TF-33's get freed up coming off B-52's and the remaining K/E-135's that still have them + spares, I do wonder if that would be enough to keep the smaller E-3 fleet running?
Maybe, but doubtful. The engines become unsupportable not because of a dearth of numbers, but because the materials and manufacturing methods required to produce the necessary parts simply become unavailable.
Talk to the hobbyists that try to keep steam locomotives running. Not only are the parts no longer available, no one knows how to build those parts anymore. Heck no one can even figure out how to build the F-1 engines that powered the Saturn V moon rockets and they are of more recent vintage than the TF-33. It's a lost art. The problem is even more acute when we're talking about electronics. A lot of the chips that power 10 or even just 5 year old avionics are no longer being made and there is no equipment around anymore to make them. Obsolescence is a HUGE deal and must be carefully planned for.