For military aircraft corrosion has always been a major concern. The extensive maintenance and repairs done for corrosion require a thought out scheme of maintenance and repair protocols for mission survival and readiness. However, these repairs are very expensive, time consuming and affect deployment in combat situations. Often, these are more than necessary in extent and type. It is simply because there is a lack of database or technology (knowledge of available technologies) which can
determine the extent of corrosion damage when and where occurred. Present down sizing of the military has affected new acquisitions as well as maintenance and repair budgets. Thus, business as usual philosophy has changed and a new strategy for maintenance and repair is being instituted. However, this requires full understanding of when and where corrosion occurs so that repairs can be made as soon as possible where needed, delayed if noted less significant or do away with periodic overhaul, if insignificant. This condition based maintenance (CBM) strategy will require methods of early warning corrosion detection and measurements, a process for creating a database of ‘system health’, and data analysis to provide cue for maintenance and repair.
Kevwords: aircraft corrosion, maintenance and repair, costs. case study, aging aircraft, corrosion preventive compounds, corrosivity monitoring, sealants and coatings.