By Troy Turner
The Air Force awarded GasTOPS Inc., headquartered in Canada but with facilities in Huntsville, an $18.5 million contract to provide equipment that can perform field-checks of aircraft engine oil to expedite necessary maintenance or repairs with fighter jets.
The contract provides for the procurement of 145 Portable Debris Analyzer ChipCheck machines, which are designed to perform in-the-field ability to analyze debris found in aircraft engine oil, specifically, the F110 engine.
General Electric produces the F110, which is used to power F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, among others.
An F-15 Strike Eagle during midair refueling. (Air Force Staff Sgt. William Rio Rosado)
The work on producing the equipment will be performed in Huntsville and is expected to be completed by July 2029, the Department of Defense reported.
The Air Force Sustainment Center, Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, is the contracting agency.
GasTOPS is headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, with operations in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland in addition to its U.S. site in Huntsville. It touts a variety of engineering and technology services and products, including in the fields of aerospace, defense, energy and innovation.
Among its promotions: “Aircraft engine and transmission manufacturers consider Gastops their low-risk and reliable partner for the real-time, rich data insights that are only possible with edge computing from inside the aircraft with onboard sensing.”
The Portable Debris Analyzer ChipCheck machines being purchased in the most recent Air Force contract are valued for their in-the-field testing convenience and ability to quickly track down engine problems by diagnosing debris found in an aircraft’s used engine oil.
Faster and more accurate analysis can save or extend an aircraft’s flight availability with its serviceable engines.
Troy Turner is the editor and senior consultant for AlaDefense.com. He can be reached at [email protected]. His bio can be found here.
Top photo: Airmen perform checks as an afterburner blasts from an F110 jet engine, used to power F-16 Fighting Falcons, during a test at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, June 6, 2025. (USAF)
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