World-Unique Tire Testing Capability Saves Millions for Warfighters

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Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett is briefed by Sami Labban at the Landing Gear Test Facility, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, April 21, 2020. Engineers at the facility have developed a new, one-of-a-kind test capability that can identify, characterize, and classify tire wear under realistic operational conditions – saving thousands per tire over the life cycle (U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees).
Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett is briefed by Sami Labban at the Landing Gear Test Facility, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH, April 21, 2020. Engineers at the facility have developed a new, one-of-a-kind test capability that can identify, characterize, and classify tire wear under realistic operational conditions – saving thousands per tire over the life cycle (U.S. Air Force photo by Ty Greenlees).

May 29, 2020 | Originally published by U.S. Air Force on May 12, 2020

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, OH (AFNS) — The ability of an aircraft’s tires to endure a landing at high speeds is critical to an Air Force pilot returning to land following an operational flight.

However, predicting aircraft tire wear is a complex, time-intensive phenomenon, highly dependent on multiple variables. Historically, testers focused on the structural integrity of a tire prior to fielding and use. The ability to quickly and accurately predict tire wear remained a challenge across the logistics community – until now.