Merlin Depth Maintenance Facility
Encyclopedia
Merlin Depth Maintenance Facility (MDMF) is located at RNAS Culdrose
, Helston
, Cornwall
, and is responsible for performing Depth Maintenace on EH101 Merlin helicopters of both the Royal Navy
, primarily based at RNAS Culdrose
, and those of the Royal Air Force
, primarily based at RAF Benson
, Oxfordshire
. MDMF is part of the Integrated Merlin Operational Support , a partnership between the UK Ministry of Defence, AgustaWestland
, Serco and Lockheed Martin
.
from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and civilians from Serco under the authority of JAPS http://www.jap100a-01.mod.uk/Jap(d)/engpolhtml.htm. MDMF is based upon a pulse line system, similar to a production line, that involves 9 phases, and each Merlin "pulses" through each phase in turn. The 9 phases are:
Cell 1 - Strip, all major components including gearboxes, engines and fuel tanks are removed from the aircraft.
Cell 2 - Inspect, airframe and all removed components are fully cleaned and inspected in order to ascertain the serviceability of the aircraft, and to produce a work-package for the rectification phases.
Cell 3 - CRF, aircraft is moved to the Composite Repair Facility building for all structural composite fault rectification.
Cell 4 - Rects A, first rectifications phase to clear faults identified during Inspect phase and embody any Modifications (Mods) and Technical Instructions (TIs) .
Cell 5 - Rects B, second rectifications phase.
Cell 6 - Rects C, third rectifications phase.
Cell 7 - Rebuild, components removed during strip are rebuilt.
Cell 8 - Functionals, all disturbed systems are fully tested for serviceability.
Cell 9 - Flight Test, aircraft is ground run and flown through the full flight test schedule, before being delivered to the receiving squadron.
List of air stations of the Royal Navy
RNAS Culdrose
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose , based in Cornwall, near Helston, on the Lizard Peninsula, has three major roles: serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line Sea King and Merlin helicopter squadrons; providing search and rescue for the South West region; and training specialists for the Royal Navy...
, Helston
Helston
Helston is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated at the northern end of the Lizard Peninsula approximately 12 miles east of Penzance and nine miles southwest of Falmouth. Helston is the most southerly town in the UK and is around further south than...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, and is responsible for performing Depth Maintenace on EH101 Merlin helicopters of both the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, primarily based at RNAS Culdrose
RNAS Culdrose
Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose , based in Cornwall, near Helston, on the Lizard Peninsula, has three major roles: serving the Fleet Air Arm's front line Sea King and Merlin helicopter squadrons; providing search and rescue for the South West region; and training specialists for the Royal Navy...
, and those of the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, primarily based at RAF Benson
RAF Benson
RAF Benson is a Royal Air Force station near Benson in South Oxfordshire, England. It is home to the Royal Air Force's support helicopters, the Aérospatiale Puma and the EH-101 Merlin, known as the Puma HC.Mk 1 and the Merlin HC.Mk 3 and Mk 3a....
, Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
. MDMF is part of the Integrated Merlin Operational Support , a partnership between the UK Ministry of Defence, AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland is an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland with Finmeccanica and GKN each holding a 50% share.AgustaWestland is now a...
, Serco and Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area....
.
Merlin Depth Maintenance
Depth maintenance is carried out on UK military aircraft on a schedule depending on aircraft type. For Merlin helicopters this is centred around a 2 year/600 flying hour cycle, and is carried out by military personnelBritish Armed Forces
The British Armed Forces are the armed forces of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.Also known as Her Majesty's Armed Forces and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown, the British Armed Forces encompasses three professional uniformed services, the Royal Navy, the...
from the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force and civilians from Serco under the authority of JAPS http://www.jap100a-01.mod.uk/Jap(d)/engpolhtml.htm. MDMF is based upon a pulse line system, similar to a production line, that involves 9 phases, and each Merlin "pulses" through each phase in turn. The 9 phases are:
Cell 1 - Strip, all major components including gearboxes, engines and fuel tanks are removed from the aircraft.
Cell 2 - Inspect, airframe and all removed components are fully cleaned and inspected in order to ascertain the serviceability of the aircraft, and to produce a work-package for the rectification phases.
Cell 3 - CRF, aircraft is moved to the Composite Repair Facility building for all structural composite fault rectification.
Cell 4 - Rects A, first rectifications phase to clear faults identified during Inspect phase and embody any Modifications (Mods) and Technical Instructions (TIs) .
Cell 5 - Rects B, second rectifications phase.
Cell 6 - Rects C, third rectifications phase.
Cell 7 - Rebuild, components removed during strip are rebuilt.
Cell 8 - Functionals, all disturbed systems are fully tested for serviceability.
Cell 9 - Flight Test, aircraft is ground run and flown through the full flight test schedule, before being delivered to the receiving squadron.
See also
List of active United Kingdom military aircraftList of air stations of the Royal Navy
External links
- JAPs - Joint Air Publications