【8月24日】看軍聞學英語

■刀客

原文：

The OBIGGS works to replace much of the oxygen built up in the fuel tank with nitrogen. Doing so helps prevent vapors in the fuel tank from combusting should the jet be struck by lightning.

The F-35 has seen this problem before: The Pentagon's Director of Operational Test and Evaluation （DOT&E） disclosed the deficiency, dating back to 2009, in a 2012 report, saying, ‘The system is not able to maintain fuel tank inerting through some critical portions of a simulated mission profile.’

The Defense Department at the time called for a similar moratorium on flights during storms to avoid lightning strikes. The deficiency prompted a redesign to‘ more uniformly distribute the nitrogen-enriched air throughout the fuel tanks, ’according to a DOT&E report.

中譯：

機載惰性氣體生成系統的作用，係以氮氣取代積聚在油箱中大部分的氧氣，如此一來，戰機倘遭雷擊時，就可避免引燃油箱中的氣體。

以前就曾發現F-35戰機存有此一問題。此瑕疵早在2009就已存在，美國國防部作戰測試與評估委員會於2012年的一份報告公開表示，由模擬任務的關鍵數據得知，該系統無法維持油箱的惰性狀態。

美國國防部當時即要求，該型戰機於暴風雨期間暫停飛行，以避免雷擊。據作戰測試與評估委員會表示，此瑕疵使得該系統得重新設計，以更均勻地將高氮含量氣體散布於油箱中。

-關鍵軍語-

※mOBIGGS:

Onboard Inert Gas Generation System.

※combust:

To start to burn or burst into flames.

例句：

OBIGGS can replace much of the air in a fuel tank with nitrogen, a gas that does not support combustion.

機載惰性氣體生成系統，能以不會助燃的氮氣，代換掉油箱內大部分的氣體。