Royal AU Air Force first to receive F135 Engine Maintenance trainer outside US
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received an F135 Engine Maintenance and Borescope Trainer and a First Stage Blade Blend Trainer – the first to be delivered to a country outside the United States.
The training aids were received by the RAAF’s Integrated Training Centre (ITC) at the RAAF Base Williamtown, and will allow the air force’s aviation technicians in honing their skills on F-35A maintenance skills.
According to Corporal Daniel Jackson, an ITC instructor and aviation technician (ATECH) with seven years of F-35A experience, the equipment is almost identical to the real thing.
“If you didn’t know what you were looking at, you’d think it was a real engine. A lot of the materials are genuine,” Jackson said.
He added: “The internals are mock but they are so realistic, down to the point where they have airbrushed wear pattern details to match a reference image of a real engine. It’s pretty incredible.”
According to the RAAF, technicians can practice real-life engine maintenance including module splits, borescope inspections of the turbine, and diagnose induced faults with pre-damaged components. They will also be able to train in hands-on repair of damaged fan blades, a task Jackson said was critical to be able to do correctly.
“We blend the blades with files back into a conformed aerofoil design. It’s titanium so it takes a bit to get the material off and if you go out of limits you’ll make it unserviceable.That’s why it’s such an important piece to train, because we want people to be confident and comfortable actually doing it in a real job,” Jackson said.
Prior to the arrival of the two F-35A maintenance training aids, RAAF’s aviation technicians relied on classroom and simulator learning, following up with on-aircraft maintenance.
An F135 engine specialist course, borescope course and first-stage blade blend course have been developed for the new equipment.
The RAAF said this is the last significant maintenance training device delivery from the AIR6000 PH2A/B project, responsible for the acquisition of the F-35A.
The RAAF’s final (of nine) F-35A aircraft was delivered on December 19, 2025.
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The post Royal AU Air Force first to receive F135 Engine Maintenance trainer outside US appeared first on AeroTime.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has received an F135 Engine Maintenance and Borescope Trainer and a First…
The post Royal AU Air Force first to receive F135 Engine Maintenance trainer outside US appeared first on AeroTime.
