QA identifies, helps fix critical F-35 assembly flaw

MARIETTA, Ga. -

A Defense Contract Management Agency "drill hole" audit of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Center Wing Assembly detected an improper process that could have compromised the structural integrity of the aircraft.

The critical discovery avoided potential loss of structural life, and loss of availability due to unplanned repairs.

Antonio Powell Sr., a quality assurance specialist with DCMA Lockheed Martin Marietta, said they found a number of improperly drilled holes.

"We observed that the contracting personnel were not properly addressing the drilled holes by deburring them after drilling," Powell said. "There was a potential compromise to the structural integrity of the F-35 Center Wing Assembly."

After showing the contractor the results of the analysis, Powell said he believed the best path forward was to work with the contractor on a solution.

However, any solution would be complicated by the influx of new contractor personnel who lacked some of the manufacturing skills to reduce the defect counts for drilling work.

"Through constant collaboration and dialog, the contractor took my suggestion to produce a 3-D work template for their workers to use during drilling and deburring," Powell said.

The use of this aide had a profound effect in driving down defects associated to hole drilling, Powell said.

"The contractor I worked with was open to suggestions, as he was a new supervisor himself and had previous experience working with DCMA, so he welcomed my assistance and knew the value DCMA would bring," Powell said.

Suppliers supporting this production effort play a crucial role in ensuring they meet product demands and that their product is defect-free, said Kenneth Jackson, F-35 support quality assurance supervisor.

"Antonio's role in this process is to ensure the contractor provides a product that is ready to be further assembled in the next stage of the build process without having to undergo product rework to try and bring the product to blueprint requirements," Jackson said.

Jackson said Powell's's efforts to push for improvements have been phenomenal.

"Initially, he assisted the contractor in correcting drilling procedures during the build process. This, in turn, helped to avoid major rework downstream in the F-35 manufacturing line," Jackson said.

Powell collaborated with the contractor to address the issue of improper hole deburring during the drilling of F-35 Center Wing Assemblies, ensuring that F-35 components are delivered on time and within budget, Jackson said.

"His dedication ensures that DCMA provides on-time products to our customers," Jackson said. "He is instrumental to the overall process of providing equipment to our warfighters for training, deterring aggression, defeating our enemies, and winning battles."

Powell reiterated that it was his duty as a QAS to influence the contractor's processes to ensure they deliver products to DCMA that are free of nonconformances.

"I was once in the position of a warfighter," Powell added. "I understand the need to have your equipment produced correctly for mission success and survival."

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