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Old 04-05-2014, 02:33 AM
mpipes mpipes is offline
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I worked in USAF logistics and was involved in a project to basically store wartime vehicles in airtight bags as Israel does. I did a lot of research including what Davis-Montham does. Basically, you "pickle" the vehicle/aircraft. Remove the batteries. Drain the hydraulics and fuel system, and then you run a preservative light oil of some type through the lines to protect from corrosion and purge with nitrogen. The vehicle/aircraft was also jacked up and blocked to protect the tires. On aircraft, every access is coated with a polyurethane coat, including the cockpit. On many, the whole plane is coated. The engine intakes are also sealed as is the exhaust. Most avionics are left in place.

After everything is done, the internal temperature pretty much stays within reasonable limits so you really don't have materials breaking down. B-52s and B-1s have stood alerts without any real concerns for years. All combat aircraft spend most of their time on a tarmac someplace anyway, and the plane's electronics hold up fine as long as they are unpowered. Storage warehouses for avionics get plenty warm and cold.

So how long does it take to get them back in the air? Not long really. Strip off the polyurethane. Take it off the blocks. Add hydraulic fluid. Add power and run up the electronics and hydraulic systems. See what works and what doesn't. Fuel it. Run up the engine and go through preflight. Fix anything that needs it. Taxi and test fly. If everything checks out, you've got a mission capable bird.

Israel has done some testing I know with Mirages and Nesher that had been stored for years, and if I recall correctly, they could get one checked out and service ready in about 6 hours. Again if I recall correctly, mothballed F-4s have been checked out and service ready in about 24 hours. I don't remember how many ground crew were involved, and these were wartime reserve aircraft intended to return to service in a war.

In 1996, B-52Gs would have only arrived within the last 4 years, so all of them are back easy. Same with a lot of F-111s, F-4s, and A-10. Some F-16As and quite a few F-14As were there, but I believe almost all could have been returned to service. The A-7s, F-8s, A-6s, and A-4s would have been there awhile, but a lot of them would be able to fly. The big question was the B-52Ds, Es, and Fs . Those were largely still intact until START kicked in, but a lot of them probably had not been maintained too well or had been cannibalized for parts. There were also still dozen of F-100s and F-105s there too. The biggest problem would have been cannibalized or broken parts. However, each aircraft was meticulously tracked as to what it was missing, and there would still be plenty of aircraft to get a few others back in the air. The way I've envisioned it, 100% of the B-52Gs would have been returned to service; 90% of F-16As, F-14As, F/A-18s, and A-10As; 85% F-111s, A-7s, and A-6s; 70% F-4s, A-4s, and B-52Ds; 60% F-8s, F-105s, and F-100s; and 50% B-52Es and Fs. That would be roughly 1000-1500 airframes if I've guessed right.

In any event, by the time Mexico invaded, there probably would not have been too many flyable planes left. Given the lethality of air defenses, after six months of combat most probably both sides would have been scrambling to get any combat airframe that could be made to fly operational, and I think DM would have been churning out about 50-75 combat airframes a week by that point. Most of them would have been gone by the invasion. That's my opinion anyway.
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