F101
The General Electric F101 engine was originally developed for the Advanced Manned Strategic Aircraft program, which became the B-1 strategic bomber. Utilizing the same core design as the F101, the F110 and F118 engine derivatives were created by adding new low pressure systems to tailor engine performance to the desired aircraft application.
Rated in the 30,000 pound thrust class, the F101 was the first GE-produced turbofan with an augmentor. Although the planned production program was terminated in 1977, four B-1 aircraft were built and flown through a complete operational flight test program. Virtually all large civil transport engines evolved from military programs, and in many cases, were direct derivatives of engines developed for the military. The CFM56 engine, used in most Boeing 737 aircraft, is based on the core of the F101 engine used in the B-1. GE received a contract to develop the F101-102 augmented turbofan, an improved version from the earlier flight test engine for the B-1B. The first engine was delivered in 1983 and B-1B flight testing began in 1984. The U.S. Air Force accepted the first aircraft in 1985 and the last of 469 F101-GE-102 engines was produced in December 1987.
Advanced Planning System (APS) is a commercial off-the-shelf technology used for supply chain planning and decision support functions. The F101 APS Pathfinder team successfully evaluated APS capabilities and limitations in the depot environment by successfully implementing strategies and solutions on the F101 engine for the B-1B “Lancer” bomber aircraft. The APS Pathfinder team provided an integrated, near real-time, responsive approach to planning and assessment of feasible execution plans through an enterprise-wide view of all related Air Force logistical organizations.
The APS Pathfinder effort demonstrated the capability to provide an automated, alerts-based capability to identify, examine and resolve potential supply chain issues by exception (demand variability, parts availability, physical capacity, financial restrictions) before impacting daily execution. The Pathfinder also established a mechanism for sharing information and supporting collaborative planning capabilities across the extended supply chain (for example, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (OEM’s)). This fully integrated functionality enabled the rapid and repetitive modeling and collaboration of supply chain related functions inside and outside an enterprise e.g., forecasting, inventory & distribution planning, rough-cut capacity planning, etc. APS technology, as demonstrated by the Pathfinder, provided increased speed and functionality through the integration of industry developed best business practices.
