A landing strip is not enough. You need special ground systems, ancillaries and specially trained crew, in addition to the specially designed enclosures to house step platforms and equipment.What is a suitable airbase for operating 5th gen fighter?
If we go over just a few small details:
- A minimum capacity of 2,100 cubic feet of nitrogen at 3,500 psig with a capability of boosting nitrogen supply pressure up to 5,000 psig. In addition, The Cart had to provide a constant supply of nitrogen at flow rates up to 32 SCFM for a minimum of 20 minutes at 72 ±1.5 psi. This is for the tyres.
- The J00010 and J00011 Maintenance Platforms with a requirement to manually raise and lower, offering easy manoeuvrability to provide maintenance personnel access to areas of the F-35 that are beyond the normal reach and height.
- A dedicated area to replenish RAM paint and a store for used and scraped paint to be returned back to US.
- Special ground power units. Dedicated crew for Weapons loading and transporting equipment.
- Hydraulic and Pneumatic Systems Equipment: Equipment for testing and maintaining the hydraulic and pneumatic systems critical to the operation of the F-35. Areas to keep these equipment.
etc etc etc
The more of these systems you can house in the airfields, the shorter your operational downtime will be.
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