NORTH ISLAND, Calif. –
Fleet Readiness Center Southwest (FRCSW) has officially stood up the Navy’s first F-16 Viper maintenance line, an 18-month sprint that now positions the command as the service’s primary depot for the aircraft’s most demanding structural work.
A Depot Line Stood Up with Unprecedented Speed
FRCSW, working in conjunction with the Adversary and Specialized Aircraft Program Office, launched the Programmed Sustainment and Structural Repair (PSSR) line in an unprecedented 18 months, an achievement that program officials said sets a new benchmark across naval aviation. PSSR is similar to the Navy’s F/A-18 High Flight Hour Inspection and is critical to ensuring the F-16 remains ready to perform its mission as an adversary for Navy pilot training exercises.
The effort began when the F-16 program office approached FRCSW with a pressing need and no other depot was able to take on the workload. FRCSW stepped forward, committing to fulfilling an operational imperative to keep the Navy’s men and women who fight for the nation’s security mission ready.
Building a Capability from the Ground Up
Standing up the line required procuring new equipment, designing and installing specialized tooling, and developing tailored training pipelines. One of the most notable achievements: adapting legacy F/A-18 maintenance equipment—including wing removal and installation stands—for F-16 use. Engineers validated the modifications, enabling a safe, cost-effective solution that kept the activation on schedule.
When critical hardware couldn’t be sourced through the supply system, FRCSW artisans and engineers collaborated to refurbish legacy components, securing approval for continued use and preventing delays.
Engineering Breakthroughs and First-of-Their-Kind Approvals
Jake Weintraub, FRCSW’s lead engineer for the F-16 program, partnered with program office engineers to approve modifications and introduce the Navy’s first Local Engineering Specification (LES) for the aircraft, establishing a foundation for future sustainment work at Naval Air Station North Island, California.
Joint-Service, Industry-Backed Effort
The depot’s rapid success was fueled by collaboration across services and industry:
- Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, provided hands-on training using a dedicated trainer aircraft.
- Lockheed Martin and Air Force partners supported radar-absorbent coating work and structural repair techniques.
- FRCW artisans, many with decades of F/A-18 experience, volunteered to transition to the new platform, bringing their deep technical expertise and a commitment to the fleet.
“The strategic collaboration between FRCSW and [the program office] to establish F-16 Depot Maintenance capabilities for U.S. Navy Aggressor F-16s has delivered accelerated readiness for the warfighter,” said Capt. Jason Pettitt, program manager. “In just 18 months, both teams worked tirelessly to procure, train and install the necessary equipment to stand up the F-16 PSSR capability, an unprecedented pace for depot line activation. Congratulations to all team members for this successful achievement on delivering the first Navy F-16C Viper out of FRCSW.”
Brian Trout, FRCSW F-16 deputy program manager, echoed Pettit’s enthusiasm.
“The chance to apply our skills to a new aircraft is exciting,” he said. “We’ve spent decades working on F/A-18s, and now we get to contribute to the readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps in a new way.”
First Aircraft Complete with a Growing Workload Ahead
The Viper’s maintenance program is already seeing tangible results. FRCSW received its first F-16 in January 2025 and completed the first PSSR repair just one month later. The command is set to perform PSSR work on more than half of the Navy’s F-16 fleet, with additional work planned, including Special Structural Inspections (SLAP/SLEP), canopy longeron repairs and Uniform Have Glass paint work for radar low-observable coatings.
The program’s early success underscores FRCSW’s ability to rapidly deliver new capabilities that directly enhance fleet readiness.
FRCSW Expands F-16 Capabilities with Advanced Coatings, Critical Structural Repair
FRCSW has added two major capabilities to support the Navy’s F-16 adversary fleet:
- Uniform Have Glass (UHG) is a coating that reduces the aircraft’s radar cross-section, making the aircraft more challenging to adversaries for Navy pilot training. This advanced coating allows the F-16s to better simulate modern threat aircraft, providing Navy pilots with more realistic and demanding training scenarios. The coating is also highly durable, reducing long-term maintenance and corrosion control needs.
- Canopy Sill Longeron (CSL) is a structural repair line, developed with the Air Force, that supports C‑model aircraft, with expansion to D‑models planned later this year.
By bringing both advanced coatings and complex structural repairs in-house, FRCSW has positioned itself as a comprehensive support hub for the Navy’s F-16 fleet, improving turnaround times, strengthening training realism and reinforcing joint-service readiness.
