Since the introduction of the Northrop F-5 Tiger II in the late 1970s, the J85 engines have been maintained and tested in Switzerland. Since then, RUAG has established itself as a reliable partner for the Swiss Air Force and numerous international operators.
Since 1978, the J85-GE-21 engines have been tested on the continuously modernized test bench in Ennetmoos (from 1978 to 1994, parallel testing was also carried out in Interlaken and Ennetmoos). To this day, between 30 and 80 engines are put through their paces every year. In addition to the J85-GE-21 engines of the F-5 Tiger, the F404-GE-402 engines of the F/A-18 and the PW206B2 and Makila-1A/1A1 shaft engines for the helicopter fleet are also comprehensively tested there.
More than 45 years of experience characterize the maintenance and testing of J85 engines at the engine shop in Stans, where they are inspected and serviced to the highest quality standards. Over the decades, the J85 Center of Excellence has undergone continuous development – from the modernization of infrastructure and data acquisition to the ongoing optimization of testing processes and quality standards.
As Overall System Technical Responsible (OSTR) and Life Cycle Management partner for the Swiss fleet and as one of the few organizations worldwide with full US DoD Source Approval Request (SAR) for the entire engine, RUAG delivers certified quality at the highest level.
A test run usually takes around one and a half working days and is carried out by two test bench employees. With the 5,000th successful test run, RUAG once again underlines its ability to ensure the competence, availability, operational readiness, and service life of the fleet.