Page 33 - Australian Defence Magazine Dec21-Jan22

RUAG Australia celebrates MAHUSS success
Advertorial
In February 2015, the Australian Depart- ment of Defence’s Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (then known as the Defence Materiel Organisation) awarded RUAG Australia a four-year De- fence contract for Multi-Aircraft Hydrau- lic and Undercarriage Systems Support (MAHUSS).
As this pioneering support contract and partnership with Defence comes to an end in 2021, we take a look at the MA- HUSS journey from inception through to completion. To secure the MAHUSS contract, RUAG Australia utilised its en- gineering capability and ingenuity to de- liver real solutions, saving the Australian Defence Force (ADF) millions in spares and reducing lead times resulting in in- creased operational flying hours. RUAG Australia had established itself as a pre- ferred ‘Partner of Choice’ for Defence and industry customers, for aircraft com- ponent and subsystems manufacture and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). The MAHUSS contract reinforced the importance of having sovereign in- dustrial capability to service aircraft fleets in the Australian and wider Asia Pacific (APAC) market.
Defence recognised the importance of sovereign capability and in 2004 engaged RUAG to provide sustainment support for the F/A-18 Classic Hornet undercarriag- es. Throughout the 2000s this support expanded and the contract was renewed in 2009, successfully improving overall aircraft availability. Between 2015 and 2020, flight control reliability improved by 300 hours and over 530 engineered repair solutions were delivered some of which enabled the utilisation of innova- tive additive repair technology. The suc- cess of MAHUSS can in part be attribut- ed to the close collaborative working
relationship with the Tactical Fighter System Program Office (TFSPO), the Defence Airwor- thiness Regulator, and the Defence capability manager. The MAHUSS contract provided the opportunity for RUAG Australia to transition to a new airworthiness regulatory framework introduced by Defence Aviation Safety Reg- ulations (DASR). RUAG Australia was one of thefirstcompaniestoreceiveDASRPT21Jand DASR PT145 approvals under the new DASR regulations, enhancing design, engineering and maintenance support for Defence.
TFSPO was instrumental to the success of the F/A-18 Classic Hornet undercarriage refur- bishment program, which included lever axle and trunnion assemblies. Some unique repair solutions were developed by the engineering team at RUAG Australia for 30 secondary items including mechanical links and cranks. At the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Base Williamtown, RUAG Australia team members developed a unique brush CAD flat peening capability where corrosion repairs are con- ducted in situ on the aircraft, saving RAAF aircraft downtime and freight costs. The en- gineering solutions developed for the F/A-18 are now sought after and being incorporated in other prime platforms.
Since 2015, RUAG Australia consistently de- livered innovative maintenance solutions on hydraulic, flight control, power generation and environmental control systems for the F/A-18A/B Classic Hornet, AP-3C Orion, Sea- hawk Bravo/Romeo and CH-47 Chinook fleets for the RAAF, Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and the Australian Army. The majority of the work carried out as part of the MAHUSS contract was conducted from RUAG Australia’s facili- ties in Bayswater (VIC), Airport West (VIC) and RAAF Bases at Amberley (QLD) and William- town (NSW). The ability to conduct repair and sustainment work on-site at the RAAF Bases has reduced sustainment costs and increased aircraft availability.
RUAG Australia has delivered more than 250,000 MRO technician hours for MA- HUSS, over 9000 engineering hours, de- livered over 6500 repaired components to the fleet of RAAF aircraft and support- ed urgent requests during times of over- seas operational deployments.
Some other memorable highlights and achievements from the program are out- lined below:
• The ‘Tiger Team’ undercarriage refur- bishment program commenced in 2010 in support of TFSPO, resulting in 1 under- carriage set being turned around every three months.
• 885 Design Certificates and Compli- ance Statements were developed and is- sued for flight controls, landing gear sys- tems, power systems and Environmental Cooling Systems (ECS).
• Since 2014, a RUAG Field Service En- gineer has been onsite with TFSPO at Williamtown to provide engineering and maintenance assistance on routine main- tenance and Non-Conformance Report & Disposition related assessments.
• Eight heritage F/A-18 Classic Hornets had locks and support structures rebuilt in preparation for display at museums across Australia, in commemoration of the RAAF Centenary and 36 years of the F/A-18 Classic Hornet.
RUAG Australia is honoured to have been a partner in the MAHUSS Program with the ADF and TFSPO and successfully delivered services supporting fleet read- iness. RUAG Australia has proven, time and time again, its capability, credibility, tenacity and integrity to deliver engineer- ing solutions in support of the Australian Defence Force, which it plans to contin- ue doing, albeit through alternative con- tracting mechanisms, prime contractors and global supply chains.
Celebrating 100 Years of the RAAF
We’re proud
to be part of
aviation history.
During the Royal Australian Air Forces‘ 100 years
of service to Australia, RUAG Australia has proudly supported a range of legendary aircraft, including the F/A-18 Classic Hornet, with maintenance, repair and overhaul of landing gear, flight control systems and more.
RUAG Australia
Head Office · 836 Mountain Highway Bayswater VIC 3153 · Australia Phone +61 3 9721 1300 www.ruag.com.au
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