Air Domain Sustainment

Modern military aircraft often remain in service for decades. Over that time, suppliers change, materials evolve, and original manufacturing processes disappear. Sustainment teams responsible for keeping these aircraft operational frequently face a common challenge: the parts required to maintain critical systems are no longer available through the original manufacturer.

Parts Life, Inc. supports defense aviation programs by restoring access to those components through reverse engineering, technical data package development, and qualified manufacturing. Our engineering teams analyze legacy hardware, develop manufacturable technical data, and establish new sources for components that can no longer be procured through traditional supply chains. This approach gives program offices and acquisition teams a dependable path to obtain parts while maintaining form, fit, and function requirements.

Across multiple aircraft programs, these capabilities help reduce procurement delays, restore supply continuity, and ensure aircraft remain mission ready.

Restoring Supply for the ALCM F107 Engine Inlet Seal

One example of this work comes from the Air Launched Cruise Missile program and the F107 engine. The inlet seal for this engine required a specialized external coating that was no longer commercially available. For four years, government teams attempted to procure the component through the original manufacturer without success.

Without a replacement solution, the program faced an increasing sustainment risk. A component that once moved easily through the supply chain had become a bottleneck for continued support of the system.

Parts Life approached the challenge through reverse engineering. Engineers analyzed the existing seal, developed a replacement coating solution, and recreated the component to meet the required performance characteristics. Working closely with the Engineering Support Authority for source approval, the team validated the prototype and transitioned the component to production in less than a year.

For the customer, the outcome restored access to a mission-critical part that had previously been unavailable. Instead of relying on a supplier that could no longer produce the component, the program gained anew qualified source capable of supporting ongoing sustainment requirements.

In the accompanying video, Business Intelligence Specialist Mya Thevanayagam and Program Manager Chris Small discuss how this effort supported the ALCM program and enabled production of the inlet seal after years of unsuccessful procurement attempts.

Supporting Legacy Propulsion Sustainment for the TF33 Engine

Sustainment challenges are especially common across legacy propulsion systems. Engines that entered service decades ago continue to power aircraft that remain essential to national defense missions. The TF33 turbo fan engine is one example, supporting aircraft such as the B-52 Stratofortress.

As these aircraft remain operational longer than originally planned, many of the suppliers that once produced engine components no longer exist or no longer manufacture those parts. Sustainment teams must identify new pathways to obtain components required for maintenance and repair.

Parts Life has supported the TF33 program through reverse engineering and source development for critically needed components including bolts, brackets, and tubing assemblies. By analyzing existing hardware and creating the technical data required for manufacturing, our engineers establish new supply options for components that have become difficult to procure.

For acquisition organizations and sustainment managers, this work restores supply continuity and reduces the risk associated with aging supply chains. Instead of waiting for limited inventory or discontinued suppliers, programs gain access to newly developed manufacturing sources capable of supporting ongoing maintenance requirements.

Chris and Mya discuss this work in the second video, explaining how reverse engineering and source development help maintain operational availability for aircraft powered by the TF33 engine.

Rapid Sustainment Support for the T-38 Training Aircraft

Training aircraft present another critical sustainment requirement. The T-38 Talon plays an important role in preparing new pilots for operational aircraft, serving as a key part of the United States Air Force pilot training pipeline.

When electrical components supporting the aircraft became unavailable, sustainment teams required a solution that could be implemented quickly to maintain aircraft availability.

Parts Life reverse engineered mission-critical wiring harness assemblies required for the platform and delivered replacement components within three to six months. This accelerated development timeline restored supply continuity and ensured the aircraft remained available for training missions.

By recreating the technical data required to manufacture the harness assemblies and establishing a reliable production pathway, the program regained access to components that had previously been difficult to obtain. For the customer, this meant reduced downtime and continued support for a platform essential to pilot training.

In the third video, Mya and Chris discuss how this rapid engineering effort supported sustainment for the T-38 program and enabled the aircraft to remain available for training operations.

Engineering Solutions That Support Air Domain Readiness

Each of these programs reflects a broader sustainment challenge facing defense aviation. Aircraft platforms remain operational for decades, while the industrial base that originally produced their components continues to evolve. When parts disappear from the supply chain, reverse engineering and manufacturing development become essential tools for restoring availability.

Parts Life supports defense customers by combining engineering analysis, technical data development, and manufacturing expertise to recreate components that are no longer commercially available. Through this work, acquisition teams gain new supply pathways, sustainment managers maintain operational readiness, and aircraft platforms remain capable of supporting the missions they were designed to perform.

Parts Life, Inc. is a certified AS9100D engineering service provider, manufacturer, and alternate source supplier for DMSMS and obsolete replacement components on military systems and subsystems. Our value-added reverse engineering processes address missing or incomplete technical data needed prior to manufacturing. Services, such as R.O.P.E.® (Rapid Obsolescence Planning and Execution) and 5R® (Reverse Engineering, Remanufacturing, Recertify, Repair, Replicate) deliver manufacturable technical data with source approval to manufacture replacement parts. In our Prototype Integration Facility, parts and components are manufactured and tested for form, fit, and function to ensure each piece meets and surpasses OEM requirements.