{"id":2368,"date":"2026-06-25T22:05:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:05:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368"},"modified":"2026-06-25T22:05:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:05:10","slug":"luke-air-force-airmens-100-fix-helps-protect-f-35-fleet-from-costly-engine-damage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368","title":{"rendered":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
\n

On a flight line dominated by one of the world\u2019s most advanced fighter jets, two Air Force weapons airmen have solved a stubborn problem with a solution that costs less than $100.<\/p>\n

Read more Arizona freshman Brayden Burries selected No. 10 by Milwaukee in 2026 NBA Draft<\/a><\/p>\n

Tech. Sgt. Zach Allbee and Tech. Sgt. Nik Yakel, weapons specialists with roughly 15 years each in uniform, helped design a simple attachment that keeps spent ammunition casings from scattering under F-35A Lightning II jets \u2014 a foreign object debris hazard that can sideline an aircraft and cost the Air Force millions.<\/p>\n

The device, nicknamed Project ZACH for Zero Point Ammunition Cartridge Handler, guides used brass from the aircraft\u2019s internal loading mechanism into an ammo can instead of bouncing across the concrete. What sounds minor on paper can be mission-critical on the ramp.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf one of those cases gets picked up by an aircraft and damages its engine, that\u2019s 20-plus million dollars out the door,\u201d Allbee said, describing how a single casing left on the flight line can be sucked into an intake.<\/p>\n

For years, weapons crews downloading the F-35\u2019s gun system relied on gravity and good aim. As the aircraft\u2019s spent casings dropped more than six feet from the device used to load and unload ammunition, airmen tried to \u201ceyeball\u201d them into an ammo can. Many missed.<\/p>\n

Allbee estimates he has loaded and unloaded 200,000 to 300,000 rounds over his career, from A-10s to F-35s. He said even experienced crews routinely lost brass during a download.<\/p>\n

\u201cNine times out of 10, you\u2019re not catching all the rounds in the ammo can,\u201d he said. \u201cDuring the day, it\u2019s a little bit easier, because I can see where they all went. If you were to do this at night \u2026 now you have a piece of hard metal FOD sitting on the flight line that you don\u2019t know about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Yakel, the maintenance noncommissioned officer in charge of the 308th Weapons Flight, said the problem did more than create a safety risk \u2014 it disrupted the rhythm of the load crews.<\/p>\n

\u201cLoading is very solidified. Everybody has their steps. There\u2019s a motion \u2014 it\u2019s very graceful when it\u2019s put together well,\u201d Yakel said the unloading process disrupts that. \u201cHaving to stop your rhythm \u2026 to chase rounds around the aircraft and adding the added stress of aircraft running around \u2014 it\u2019s a giant vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watching brass \u201cgo everywhere\u201d during one gun download, Allbee and Yakel started spit balling ideas on the spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just thought to myself, that can\u2019t be the best way to do this,\u201d Allbee said. \u201cWhat if we just come up with something to help guide those casings down into the ammo can, that way I don\u2019t have to worry about them going anywhere \u2014 day or night.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair took the idea up their chain of command, gathered feedback from other units using the same expedient loader, and confirmed the problem was widespread, not just a training issue at Luke.<\/p>\n

With support from their commander and help from civilian engineers at Detachment 9 on base, they built a prototype using a 3D-printed bracket and mesh netting scavenged from the arts and crafts store. That early concept evolved into a more rugged design: a three-piece 3D-printed bracket that clamps to the existing chute and a heavy canvas funnel that directs all brass into the can.<\/p>\n

\u201cStandard canvas material, all-weather, super durable, anti-rip, anti-tear,\u201d Allbee said. \u201cSo far it works pretty good \u2014 and not to mention this costs less than our original prototype. This is about $100.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Person dead after shooting involving DPS detectives near 28th Street and Camelback Road in Phoenix<\/a><\/p>\n

For an aircraft with a price tag that can top $80 million, the contrast isn\u2019t lost on the crews who use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you think about a $98 fix for something as expensive as this, that\u2019s pretty incredible,\u201d Allbee said.<\/p>\n

The simple add-on does not alter the aircraft or the original loader design, a key factor in gaining approval to move forward. The attachment hangs from the existing expedient loader structure and can be replicated by other units using shared design files.<\/p>\n

The team is now preparing to distribute the design to other F-35 units at Luke for additional testing and feedback. Once refinements are complete, they plan to place the design in the Air Force\u2019s global system so any F\u201135A unit can build its own version for under $100.<\/p>\n

For Yakel, the impact goes beyond hardware. He sees it as a tangible way to leave the service better than he found it.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoes it cost tens of millions of dollars? No,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the fact that we\u2019re able to keep this to roughly $98 and still have such a big impact is huge.\u201d<\/p>\n

He imagines a future where younger airmen \u2014 maybe even a grandchild \u2014 are working on F-35s and treating Project ZACH as just another standard tool on the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019d be really cool to have a grandchild that serves and says, \u2018Yeah, I was watching these weapons guys, they had this chute thing,\u2019\u201d Yakel said. \u201cI\u2019d be like, \u2018You\u2019re not going to believe this, but\u2026\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Leaders say the device reflects a broader push inside the Air Force to encourage airmen-led innovation, especially at training bases like Luke, where every sortie counts.<\/p>\n

Master Sgt. Austin Fahad described his reaction when the airmen brought the problem \u2014 and their solution \u2014 forward as simple pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ability to recognize a problem and be willing to vocalize it, not accepting that problem as reality \u2014 that\u2019s huge,\u201d he said, adding that the airmen \u201cwent through the long haul\u201d of prototyping, networking and gathering data from other bases to get to a final product.<\/p>\n

As Luke continues training combat pilots for the F-35 fleet, Allbee and Yakel say the real reward will be seeing their invention in use on other ramps around the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may not be spectacular to look at,\u201d Yakel said, \u201cbut it\u2019s something kind of cool that we\u2019re proud of \u2014 taking care of our guys and taking care of the aircraft. Those are number one and number two for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Things to do: Beauty and The Beast, Nate Bargatze, AZ Toy Con Mesa Mega Show & more!<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On a flight line dominated by one of the world\u2019s most advanced fighter jets, two Air Force weapons airmen have solved a stubborn problem with a solution that costs less than $100.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLuke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On a flight line dominated by one of the world\u2019s most advanced fighter jets, two Air Force weapons airmen have solved a stubborn problem with a solution that costs less than $100.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Arizona Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"headline\":\"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368\"},\"wordCount\":1063,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Local News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368\",\"name\":\"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":720},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?p=2368#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Arizona Moving Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/arizonamovinginsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider","og_description":"On a flight line dominated by one of the world\u2019s most advanced fighter jets, two Air Force weapons airmen have solved a stubborn problem with a solution that costs less than $100.","og_url":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368","og_site_name":"Arizona Moving Insider","article_published_time":"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb"},"headline":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage","datePublished":"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368"},"wordCount":1063,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg","articleSection":["Local News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368","url":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368","name":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage - Arizona Moving Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-25T22:05:10+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/b22b0daf5d004b549bed475630b1a98e.jpg","width":1280,"height":720},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?p=2368#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Luke Air Force airmen\u2019s $100 fix helps protect F-35 fleet from costly engine damage"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/","name":"Arizona Moving Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9c272b4cf18e019eb01eb3c1b5d855fb","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2368","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2368"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2368\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2368"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2368"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arizonamovinginsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2368"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}