March 29, 2024

How the Navy Is Solving Its Billion-Dollar Corrosion Problem

Corrosion
Aviation Machinist’s Mate Airman James Nickley inspects corrosion on the main rotor head of the MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter in the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on Feb. 24, 2022. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Charles Blaine)

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division based at Patuxent River, MD, has patented a suite of corrosion mitigation products aimed at solving the US Navy’s billion-dollar corrosion problem.

Chemists from NAWCAD developed Navguard, a family of aircraft cleaning, coating, and lubricant products to prevent rust and mildew on aircraft and their components – a problem that cost the Navy more than $2 billion for the F/A-18C-G fleet alone from 2017-2020.

“Corrosion is almost like a cancer,” said NAWCAD chemist Dr. El Sayed Arafat. “If nothing is done to stop it, it keeps going until it’s too late to fix – Navguard improves readiness for the Navy and the rest of the DoD.”

Navguard is a first-of-its-kind corrosion inhibitor for the DoD. It has a longer shelf life, is easier to apply, and lasts longer than existing prevention products on the market. It is also safer for the environment. Navguard is in service with squadrons across the fleet.

NAWCAD has been leading the campaign since the Navy identified corrosion as the single greatest systemic degrader across the fleet.

The command, working with other Naval Air System commands, has implemented a number of additional systemic mitigation initiatives to address the problem, including establishing a monitoring process across the DoD’s fleet of aircraft, and instituting Navy-wide training to improve aircraft maintainers’ approach to corrosion mitigation.

This article was provided by NAVAIR News.

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