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Air Force Project Takes Shape

Jun 30, 2009

By David Killam

A building of 69,000 square feet may seem to be rather large for a painting facility, but you have to understand that it's a special type of painting facility.

The building is at Hill Air Force Base in Utah and it's the home of F-22 "Raptor" fighters. One distinction that these fighters have is that they are largely invisible to conventional radar. This constitutes a huge advantage in most combat scenarios. What helps to make them invisible is the paint that they wear. However, if the F22 comes into the shop for maintenance, panels are removed and when that happens paint flakes off and the aircraft loses its invisibility. So repainting F22's to exact specifications becomes vitally important.

To meet the Air Force's need the Sacramento District of the Army Corps of Engineers is building the $24.6 million facility loaded with high-tech amenities that make it one of a kind in the Air Force's inventory. It enables Air Force mechanics and technicians to simply roll a fighter into a bay and paint it. In order for the paint (known as "Low Observable Coating") to do its job effectively, it has to be applied under extremely precise conditions - temperature, humidity and air circulation have to be exactly right. In order to accomplish this, each paint "booth" will be enclosed, with its own heating and air conditioning system. Each of the three booths has a dedicated furnace that is located on a platform above the booth, to minimize the possibility of sparks from the furnace coming in contact with highly flammable paint. A crane will move between booths to distribute parts and other necessities.

Aircraft are rolled into the paint booths and then everything is enclosed for painting. In case of fire, there is a robust fire suppression system, with thousands of gallons of water located under the building expressly for that purpose. Each booth also has a foam generator that spits out 3 feet of foam per minute and can completely engulf an aircraft in a few minutes.

The facility also will have a radar tower and dedicated radar system. There is also an attached fire station with bedrooms, a fitness room, a laundry, a kitchen, dining room and day room.

"This facility is critical to the Aircraft Maintenance Group's mission," said Terry Hess, facility engineer for Hill Air Force Base. "A functional facility helps decrease costs, improve quality and meet or exceed schedule. A well-planned, designed and construct facility will make aircraft maintenance more efficient."

In addition to painting, there are also two booths in the facility where other forms of maintenance can be performed. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2010.