Mission “ F/A-18E/F Naval Aviation Maintenance Center for Excellence, Lemoore is responsible for the inspection, repair, and return of long-term down assets to Ready Basic Aircraft status in support of Super Hornet readiness worldwide. “
History Naval Aviation Maintenance Center for Excellence (NAMCE) Lemoore, formerly known as the Rhino Recovery Team, began as an initiative of the Commander, Naval Air Forces. NAMCE was established with a Command Mission to return long-term down F/A-18E/F aircraft to Mission Capable (MC) status in support of the Fleet. The initial 25 Sailors reported for duty between December 2017 and March 2018 and provided subject matter expertise in establishing the first-of-its-kind maintenance site. They developed a plan of action and milestones to rebuild multiple Super Hornets, some of which had not flown in over a decade. These Sailors provided oversight and quality assurance to contractor teams assigned to carry out rebuilds of each aircraft. From establishment through Fiscal Year 2021, NAMCE’s 70 active duty Navy personnel and 340 civilian contractors restored 32 Super Hornets to mission capable status, saving $2.24B in replacement costs and directly supporting year-over-year record FRS pilot production and multiple VFA squadron deployments. Using constant process evaluation and improvement, the turnaround time for the extensive process was shortened from an average of 133 days to 62 days. Additionally, NAMCE Lemoore was critical in meeting SECDEF’s FY20 341 MC Strike Fighter initiative, providing Ready Basic Aircraft to the entire Enterprise. As NAMCE Lemoore completes the final rebuilds of the long-term down aircraft assigned to its initial mission task, it has rapidly evolved into the lead site conducting Fleet-wide intensive Maintenance Reset evolutions. Simultaneously, the command established a Training Division (NAMCE-T) that provides top level structured on-the-job (OJT) training to the entire Lemoore flight line. NAMCE-T continues to evolve to identify and meet emerging training requirements. The dedicated maintenance team at NAMCE Lemoore has proven time and again that it is ready to provide agile, expert support for any challenge. The command continues to provide mission capable Strike Fighters to the Fleet and train the finest flight line maintainers in the Naval Aviation Enterprise!