NIAR will complete the structural teardown of three jet fighters, artificially aged through fatigue testing, to collect objective data on E-drill’s performance capability to reduce damage rates, foreign object debris, and consumable material costs compared to the standard twist-drill fastener removal process.
The aircraft are undergoing a complete structural teardown inspection, isolating detail parts with minimal disassembly-induced damage; this type of high-fidelity inspection identifies structural anomalies, primarily cracks.
