70 Years of Defence Science at the 'Bend
Further Information
F/A-18 Centre Barrel Test
In 2008, DSTO earned considerable recognition for its extensive testing of F/A-18 Hornet fuselage centre barrels, supported by Director General Technical Airworthiness (DGTA) & the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO).
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- FA-18 Centre Barrel Rig with Loris Molent
DSTO’s testing and analyses indicated that the actual life of the centre barrel, which support the wings and landing gear, was approximately 10% greater than originally certified. This equated to an additional two years of flying and provides the RAAF Hornet fleet with sufficient fatigue life to safely reach their planned withdrawal date in 2018.
Because of its long-standing expertise in aircraft structural integrity, DSTO was able to remove some of the conservatism used in the original lifing. This resulted in the life expectancy of the aircraft being increased without any additional risk of operational failure.
The outcomes of DSTO's testing have saved the Defence budget more than $400 million.
DSTO people involved:
Loris Molent, Geoff Swanton, Ben Dixon, Tony Mills, Paul White, Simon Barter, Kai Maxfield, Peter Smith, John Huyhn
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