The F/A-18 Hornet has been used by the Marine Corps for nearly three decades. Over time, parts and pieces of the aircraft begin to corrode, which can cause performance degradation.

Marines and civilians with the Corrosion Con­trol Facility perform routine inspections and maintenance to ensure corrosion is minimized.

Both Marines and ci­vilians with the Corro­sion Control Facility go through extensive train­ing to learn how to identi­fy, treat and prevent vari­ous typesof corrosion.

“There is a huge foun­dation of knowledge amongst the Marines and civilians here,”said Dan­iel Woody, Defense Ser­vice Support site/team lead at the corrosion con­trol facility.

Marinesare on a six month rotation schedule to and from the Corro­sion Control Facility. Op­erational level airframe maintenance technicians rotate from the squad­rons to the CCF where they receive training in corrosion control.

Corrosionis the gradu­al destruction of material, usually metals, by chemi­cal reaction with its envi­ronment.

“Itis impossible to completely prevent cor­rosion,” said Woody. “It is a natural process that will take place no matter what. However, what we can do is slow it down as much as possible.”

The two methods primar­ily used to prevent corro­sion are top coatpaints and corrosion prevention compound. Corrosion pre­vention compound is a res­in that dries hard and can only be removed if more of it is applied.

“It is very effective in the environment in which pilots fly,”said Woody. “The cli­mate down here is very hu­mid and salty, and is perfect for corrosion to occur.”

“We are here to make the F/A-18 Hornet last longer than it was sup­posed to, “said Woody. “The program is extreme­ly effective in reducing maintenance costs and keeping the aircraft in the sky.”