military logistics international (jan/feb)

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Volume 6 Issue 1January/February 2011

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3 EDITORIAL COMMENT

Second-class citizens?

4 NEWS

• UK moves logistics visibility forward

• A330 tanker makes progress

• Good year for airlift workhorse

• French armour gets mobile

• Solar power for US Army

7 NEWS ANALYSIS

• Afghan supply routes diversify

• Managing the Dutch withdrawal

• Oshkosh faces MRAP support challenges

10 WHERE DO I NEED YOU?

North America Editor Scott R Gourley hears the

different views of contractors who have deployed

in support of a wide range of equipment in both

Iraq and Afghanistan.

14 GAINING GROUND

Francis Tusa and Peter Donaldson look at

the challenges that have so far hindered the use

of land vehicle HUMS.

18 POWER TO THE PERSONNEL

With fuel prices and other logistical challenges on

the rise, the race is on for companies to develop

more efficient solutions for power generation on the

battlefield. Claire Apthorp examines some of the

current projects.

21 WINGS OVER THE PACIFIC

Claire Apthorp examines the evolving strategic

and tactical air transport requirements of nations in

the Asia-Pacific region, and looks at the range of

aircraft types in service or under evaluation.

25 PICKING UP THE PIECES

A reluctance to fly equipment ‘back home’, the use

of pre-fabricated repair kits and greater contractor

involvement are adding new dimensions to the task

of fixing ISAF vehicles damaged in combat in

Afghanistan, finds Andrew White.

28 DATA ON DEMAND

Henry Canaday looks at how the Defense Logistics

Agency and US Transportation Command are putting

the finishing touches to a comprehensive system for

tracking logistics, which should replace the current

Global Transportation Network.

30 FASTER AND FASTER

Henry Canaday looks at how the USAF is moving

towards high-velocity maintenance, modelled on

commercial practices, to maximise efficiency and

minimise the downtime of expensive assets.

DEPTH FORWARD

32 VALUE FOR MONEY

MLI talks to the Commanding General of the

Danish Defence Acquisition and Logistics

Organization, Lt Gen Per Ludvigsen, about

the links between acquisition and support.

1Volume 6 Issue 1 | January/February 2011 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL

CONTENTS

www.mil-log.com

Front cover: A Canadian soldier worksalongside an Afghan contractor at a base inKandahar Province. (Photo: Canadian DND)

Editor-in-ChiefFrancis Tusa. [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 7284 0331

North America EditorScott R Gourley. [email protected] Tel: (707) 822 7204

ContributorsNicholas FiorenzaTim RipleyRichard Scott

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CEOAlexander Giles

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

IN THE NEXT ISSUE

www.mil-log.com

What had become very evident by theend of Shephard’s Military Logistics

conference in late November was that there hasbeen a change in the military pecking orderwhen it comes to the support arena.

Go back to the 1990s, or even the turn of the century, and anything not deemed to be‘teeth arms’ was firmly at the bottom of the pile – for weapons, communications, protectionsystems, training, you name it. It was stillremarkable, in a really rather worrying way, tosee support forces entering Iraq in 2003 in soft-skinned vehicles. At the time, the doctrine statedthat such units didn’t need armour, as theyoperated in ‘rear areas’.

But harsh operational lessons have beenlearned, and even if there is not complete parityin how logistics forces and ‘teeth arms’ units areequipped, the differences in most armed forcesare not only far fewer than they were, but inmany cases almost non-existent.

An epiphany seemed to come two years ago, at the Shephard Focussed Logisticsconference. There, the commander of a RoyalLogistic Corps regiment commented how, onhis tour of Afghanistan, whenever his brigadecommander received new instructions fromhigher command, he always asked what thelogistical implications of his orders were. On thatiteration of Operation Herrick, it seemed thatlogistics was no longer regarded as a nuisance,a subject of marginal importance, but was at thecore of operations.

That has now been confirmed, with thedeployed, operational logistician’s status not just staying static, but improving. No seriouscommander can ignore the implications of sucharcane things as daily usage rates, combatlogistic patrol planning, the length of the supplypipeline and the like. Good – this is all verypositive and encouraging.

But the support picture, which doesn’t justconsider logistics, but embraces the broadercombat service support piece, isn’t as rosy – farfrom it. What became very apparent is that whilethe J3/J5 community is now getting used toconsulting their logistics brethren, there isprecious little drive to talk to those in theequipment support (ES) area.

In several breakout sessions at the 2010conference, as just one set of examples, theproblems of the urgent operational requirement(UOR) system as regards ES were highlighted.In practically every case of a protected vehicle UOR since 2004 (and it’s not justrestricted to vehicles), the support piece, the lineof development which is meant to be one ofseven at the heart of procurement and support, was ignored.

LOW PRIORITY

The reason given for such persistent disregardfor ES is that it was deemed necessary to getlife-saving equipment into operational serviceASAP – that was just a decision that had to bemade. Of course, while this is true, it forgets aninevitable consequence – that in a relatively shortspace of time, each of those UOR vehiclefamilies ran into an ES wall, with large numbersbeing taken off the road as they could not bekept in working order. In most cases, inadequatespares packages had been procured. And whilethey were out of service, either the effectivenessof UK operations was impacted or people hadto be sent outside the wire in less protectedvehicles.

The situation has, in most cases, been sortedout, but with extra work and extra cost –sometimes far more than if the ES piece hadbeen properly funded in the first place.

But if the ES commander is the new ‘speedbump’, does this not create a fresh operational

point of failure? Rather than lack of fuel orammunition, will lack of serviceable vehicles and equipment becomes the crux of any support failure? What is certain is that, while ESis still treated in procurement as somethingwhich can be traded out early, with no apparentrisks, the cost of equipment, taken on a through-life basis, is going to stay high, trendingtowards unaffordable.

So while the logistician has been elevated toa far higher status, and is respected, the ESmanager/commander is the new man at thebottom of the heap. One can only hope thatthere will not be some operational shock that willshow people that they need to listen to themessage of the ES branch, and that themessage passed on is one intended to help, not hinder.Francis Tusa. Editor-in-Chief

‘The equipmentsupport manager isthe new man at thebottom of the heap.’

� Ammunition� Medical support� Deployable

infrastructure� Trucks and trailers

SECOND-CLASSCITIZENS?

MLI_JanFeb11_p03_Editorial:MLI_JanFeb11_p03_Editorial 10/2/11 14:22 Page 3

The UK finally took a step towards a coherentlogistics IT network with the award of the FutureLogistics Information System (FLIS) contract to Boeing Defence UK at the beginning of December. The deal is worth some £800 million ($1.3 billion), and is set to last for11 years.

A decision in favour of Boeing was reportedlymade at the start of 2010, but the award washeld up by the UK general election, the knock-on effects of which lasted into the autumn. UK forces currently have close to 100 differentIT systems concerned with logistics and

UK MOVES LOGISTICSVISIBILITY FORWARD

4

NEWS

MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL | January/February 2011 | Volume 6 Issue 1 www.mil-log.com

2010 ended well for Lockheed Martin as the company announced a new orderfor its C-130J Super Hercules. SouthKorea signed up for four stretched-fuselage variants of the aircraft plus a two-year support contract, with deliveriescommencing in 2014. The Republic ofKorea Air Force already operates 12 C-130H aircraft, four of which are thestretched-fuselage model.

This announcement brings the totalnumber of C-130J orders to 300, of which207 had been delivered as of December.The backlog of slightly over 90 airframesequates to around three years ofproduction, as the Marietta, Georgia,assembly line is working at its fastest levelsince the 1960s, with 36 aircraft per yearbeing built. The most recent deliveries havebeen to the US Marine Corps and theIndian Air Force.

Other customers in 2010 have beenTunisia (two aircraft) and Oman (an extraJ-model). Last year’s orders brought thenumber of countries that have ordered theaircraft up to 16. The 2010 successesfollow a good 2009, which saw newbusiness from Kuwait (eight aircraft), andthe UAE (12).

In another operational milestone, ItalianAir Force C-130Js of the 46th Air Brigade,based at Pisa, have demonstrated theirfirst use of precision parachute drops fromthe rear ramp over Afghanistan. GPS-guided parachute bundles of water,ammunition and fuel were dropped froman altitude of 30,000ft, with an accuracyof less than 10m. This success opens upthe possibility of using such methods toresupply Italian forward operating bases.

GOOD YEARFOR AIRLIFTWORKHORSEsupport, many of which are ageing and/or do

not ‘talk’ to each other. This is complicated bythe fact that as the MoD has overseen greatercontractor involvement in equipment support,so industry has developed its own systems tomanage specific contracts.

Boeing hopes to bring experience from the US defence sector, as well as its majorcommercial aerospace support activities, to produce an end-to-end IT solution for the UK. The company has identified logistics IT as a growth sector that it wishes to target worldwide.

In mid-December, the first Airbus Military A330Multi-Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) for the RAF’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraftprogramme undertook successful contacts with a Spanish Air Force F/A-18 jet. These tests were to prove the fuselage hose anddrogue refuelling unit supplied by Cobham,which also provides the two similar pods fittedunder the wings. The contacts were undertakenat speeds up to 325kts.

A330 TANKERMAKES PROGRESS

‘Wet’ trials are set to takeplace soon, as the first A330MRTT is set to be delivered tothe RAF in 2011, and will beoperational from 2012-13,when the current VC10 andTriStar fleets are retired fromservice, the latter several yearsearlier than planned.

At the same time, the A330 MRTT variant which isbeing offered to the USAF forthe KC-X programme under-took an exercise with the

Portuguese Air Force, using its Aerial Refuelling Boom System to refuel 25 differentF-16s in over 70 different fuel transfers. As this envelope expansion continues, the firstA330 MRTT is being handed over to the Royal Australian Air Force, the second Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft is set for handover this year, and the first airframedestined for the UAE has an anticipated 2012handover date.

‘UK forces currently haveclose to 100 different IT systems concernedwith logistics.’

Photo: Airbus Military

MLI_JanFeb11_p04-05_News:MLI_JanFeb11_p04-05_News 10/2/11 14:23 Page 4


NEWS

NEWS ON THE WEB

www.mil-log.com

Wyle CAS Group to support US Army utility helicopter project manager’s office4 February 2011

VSE awarded contract for US Army Reserve equipment engineering1 February 2011

Boeing delivers 11th C-40A to US Navy1 February 2011

Cubic receives ID/IQ contract,$14.5m task order to supporttraining simulators1 February 2011

NAMSA renews C-130 support contract31 January 2011

SupplyCore, Red River ArmyDepot to bring maintenancesupport to US warfighters31 January 2011

Wyle unit awarded $12.7mcontract to support US Army's ATC product office28 January 2011

DRS awarded $43.5m to providecontractor logistics support for US Navy E-6 fleet27 January 2011

FLIR Systems announces delivery order for $15.8m from US Army27 January 2011

2,000th US Army vehiclerefurbished in-theatre by Oshkosh Defense26 January 2011

All these stories can be found at www.mil-log.com

The French defence procure-ment agency, the DGA, hasdelivered the first of 110articulated trailers for the French Army’s next-generationheavy equipment transporterprogramme, SR PC 50, to the516th Movements Regiment inToul. The trailers are built by Nicolas Industries, and the contract was awarded inDecember 2006.

With the commencement of deliveries, the programme will run to January 2012 at a rate of approximately eight trailers per month. The trailers can take a variety of loads, ranging from a Leclerc main battle tank at the top end, through multiple smallerAFVs, to 20 and 40ft ISO containers. Thetrailer’s maximum operating weight is 53.8t for commercial operations, but over 70t for

use in military camps and training areas, as wellas on operations.

The trailer is equipped with hydraulic systemson the ramps that allow broken-down vehiclesto be recovered onto the flatbed, which can beachieved by a crew of two. The trailers arecompatible with tractor units already in servicewith the French military, supplied by Scania,Renault and SISU.

FRENCH ARMOURGETS MOBILE

The US Army Natick Soldier Research Design& Engineering Center’s Shelters Technology,Engineering and Fabrication directorate ispressing ahead with field trials of photovoltaicsystems that can be integrated into deployablestructures to combine protection from theelements and electricity generation byharnessing solar power.

One system developed and tested by Natick is called Temper Fly, a 40x50cm flexiblearray of photovoltaic cells which can generateup to 800W of electricity under optimalconditions. A smaller flysheet-type system called QUADrant can generate up to 200W of exportable power, and there is also a range of adaptable and scalable sheets called Power Shades, which can produce up to 200kW.

The lower power ranges are suitable forbattery charging and the operation of smallerdeployable electrical/electronic systems, whilethe Power Shades allow for some generatorpower to be supplemented by solar energy. Theaim is to use photovoltaic systems to minimisethe use of generators, which require regular fuelreplenishment. The US Army quotes the fullyburdened battlefield cost of a gallon of fuel atbetween $150-400, making anything that canreduce this burden attractive.

Technical concerns to date have centredaround the amount of power that the systems can produce, as well as the durabilityof the panel sheets. These concerns havelargely been overcome, and Natick envisagesa rapid roll-out of such systems into operational theatres.

SOLAR POWER FOR US ARMY

Photo: DGA

‘The US Army quotes thefully burdened battlefieldcost of a gallon of fuel atbetween $150-400.’

MLI_JanFeb11_p04-05_News:MLI_JanFeb11_p04-05_News 10/2/11 14:23 Page 5

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NEWS ANALYSIS

www.mil-log.com

One phrase is coined practically on everyoccasion that logistics/support for operationsin Afghanistan is mentioned: ‘You couldn’tchoose a worse place to practice logistics thanAfghanistan!’ One of the major reasons why thegeneral environment is so bad is that thecountry is land-locked, but it also has appallingland communications coming into it, as well as inside it. As one Royal Logistic Corpscommander told MLI several years ago: ‘WhenI was briefed on the operational theatre, I wastold that there were two roads in HelmandProvince. The briefing was wrong by a factor oftwo…’ This means that identifying reliablesupply routes into and inside the country hasnever been more important.

SINGLE ENTRY POINT

The fragility of the supply chain, in this case the land route through Pakistan, wasrecently identified to MLI by Jon Faulconer,head of the operational logistics supportprogramme at the NATO Maintenance andSupply Agency.

‘From June 2010, Karachi port has been anongoing problem for us,’ he said, highlighting a‘go-slow’ as a result of US UAV strikes insidePakistan, which led to customs clearanceissues. These were then followed by Ramadanand Eid, which also saw a slowdown in theport’s throughput.

But NATO planners are awaiting the openingof a new supply route, via rail through Russiaand even on into Afghanistan itself. A line isbeing built from Mazar-e Sharif to connect with the network of the former Soviet Union,and this northern access point will enable far more equipment and supplies to be moved in by surface means. The Afghan branchwas expected to be open in late 2010/early 2011.

Cdre Mike Bath, assistant chief of staff J1/J4at the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters said:‘We move about 50% [of our supplies] by airand 50% by surface. I’d like to move to 20%air and 80% surface. To achieve this, we needto overcome some huge fragilities.’

OVER THE TOP

Jeff Armentrout, C-5 programme businessdevelopment manager at Lockheed Martin, toldMLI about a new initiative to get equipment in-country. This is set to use the C-5M aircraft,which is being upgraded by the company, toopen a new air route.

‘The USAF is very impressed with perform-ance of the C-5M, and already they are usingit very differently from how they used the C-5in the past,’ he explained. ‘They are now lookingat polar overflights to get to Afghanistan in thenear future. Doing that gets rid of a largenumber of diplomatic clearances, so it’s easierto set up.

‘Typically, aircraft would fly to Rota [in Spain] and then stage from there toAfghanistan. But the C-5M has a 27% increase in payload [over a C-5A/B], and a20% increase in range. This increases the

mission velocity, as you don’t need to stop to refuel.

‘Also, on Afghanistan missions, the C-5Monly has to top up with about 20,000lb of fuelon the ground before it returns, as opposed toclose to 100,000lb for other strategic airlifters,’he concluded.

CONTRACTORS DELIVER

Within theatre, the UK has seen greater use ofcontractor rotary-wing (CRW) support to deliversupplies to the growing range of forwardoperating bases. Whereas on OperationHerrick IX (UK operations in south Afghanistan,

October 2008-April 2009)there were some 55 bases,as at late November, therewere 132, which has meanta rise in the complexity of logistic operations. It is into this picture that CRW has fitted.

‘CRW will actually go intoplaces that military supporthelicopters won’t,’ Brig JamesCowan, commander of theBritish Army’s 11 (Light)Brigade on Op Herrick until

April 2010, told MLI, adding that contractoraircraft don’t tend to have the range ofdefensive aids that military helicopters do.

The contract that the UK has for rotarysupport guarantees a minimum of 250 hoursper month, and a nominal maximum of 400. ButCowan explained that on his tour of duty, thecontracted hours were exceeded in threemonths out of seven, and were comfortablymore than 250 hours in five out of seven. Thepayload carried rose dramatically from around300t a month to around 500t.By Francis Tusa, London

AFGHAN SUPPLYROUTES DIVERSIFY

‘From June 2010,Karachi port hasbeen an ongoingproblem for us.’

Contractor rotary-wing support is an integral element of theUK’s logistics operations in Helmand. As the number ofbases established has risen, so has the tonnage delivered.(Photo: MLI)

MLI_JanFeb11_p07_News_Afghan:MLI_JanFeb11_p07_News_Afghan 11/2/11 11:34 Page 7

The withdrawal of the nearly 2,000-strongDutch contingent of NATO’s InternationalSecurity Assistance Force (ISAF) fromAfghanistan illustrates the challenges largernations will face when they eventually go home.The transfer of responsibility for Uruzgan to a US-led force on 1 August was precededby the arrival of the 700-strong NetherlandsRedeployment Taskforce (RDTF) a week anda half before.

Created in January 2010, the RDTF’s tasksare to dismantle or transfer infrastructure, packmateriel and make it transportable, move it byconvoy and provide security for the withdrawal.The RDTF had to move 450 vehicles and2,300 containers of equipment back home.

Some infrastructure was left in place for therelieving force – for example, the Role 2 hospitalat Camp Holland in Tarin Kowt was handedover to US forces in late October. Otherequipment was transferred to forces remainingin Afghanistan – 13 of the 81 Patria armouredvehicles sold to Estonia were due to betransferred directly to Estonian forces in-countryin December. The RDTF prepared the vehiclesfor the handover.

After its arrival, the RDTF collected andprepared materiel in Tarin Kowt and DehRawod for transport home. Because of a lackof trucks, the RDTF used vehicles of the 4thAfghan National Army Brigade, whose soldiersreceived driving lessons in return.

The task force was relieved by RDTF 2 on 6 December, with some 20 personnel at CampHolland and around 90 at Kandahar airfieldhandling transport of the last equipment by airand sea. Some 150 containers and 30 vehiclesstill had to be moved to Kandahar by the endof January. Together with 300 containers and

MANAGINGTHE DUTCHWITHDRAWAL

8

NEWS ANALYSIS


160 vehicles already there, this materiel had tobe transported back to Europe.

ALSO BY AIR

The redeployment was supported by RoyalNetherlands Air Force (RNLAF) Chinookhelicopters, with Dutch F-16s from Kandaharand AH-64 Apaches from Tarin Kowt providingsecurity and supporting RDTF and groundtroops. The Apaches escorted convoys, while the F-16s checked the route to be takenfor IEDs.

The CH-47s transported personnel andmateriel from withdrawing units. The last suchflight took place at the end of September, afterwhich the helicopters were packed for airlift tothe Netherlands, with the first two arriving by An-124 at Gilze-Rijen on 12 October. The lastApache mission was flown in mid-November,and these were also airlifted home in December.

Within Afghanistan, an L-100 civil transportflew equipment, including Bushmaster andFennek armoured vehicles, between Tarin Kowtand Kandahar. The amount of materieltransportable via this route was limited by theupgrading of the dirt strip at the former airfield,starting at the beginning of September. Thisinvolves hardening, lengthening and wideningthe runway. After completion of the work, whichis being done by an Afghan company, fullyloaded C-17s will be able to land and open adirect air route to the Netherlands.

LONG-HAUL CONVOYS

On 14 August, the RDTF led its first big convoyto bring containers and vehicles from CampHadrian in Deh Rawod to Camp Holland. A USStryker brigade provided security on theground, with Dutch armoured engineers

checking for IEDs and RNLAF Apaches flyingoverhead. The 70km trip took under six hours.

At the beginning of September, the RDTFled the first convoy from Tarin Kowt to Kandahar,again escorted by US Strykers and DutchApaches. Containers, Bushmaster, Patria andYPR armoured vehicles were moved 180kmfor onward air transport to the Netherlands.

The Dutch convoys include Afghan ‘jingletrucks’, with least one example carrying a PatriaAFV rolling over. In addition to US Stryker units,French and Australian forces have providedground security.

Dutch EOD teams have been destroyingcaptured munitions as well as Dutch ammu-nition whose exposure to the Afghan climatehas made it too dangerous to send back to the Netherlands.

The airlift of equipment back to theNetherlands began in mid-September, with thefirst An-124 landing at Woensdrecht on the17th. In addition to An-124s, Il-76s and C-17sflew cargo back to Woensdrecht as well asEindhoven and Gilze-Rijen.

Sealift was also used to return equipmentback to the Netherlands. The first ship carryingmateriel from the UAE arrived in the port ofEemshaven on 10 December.

Arriving materiel goes to the logisticalreception facility in Coevorden, where it isunpacked and checked, and then sent tooperational units or maintenance facilities readyfor future missions.

The personnel of Task Force Uruzgan and the commandos and marines of Task Force55 were back in the Netherlands before 1 December, while their equipment will arriveno later than 1 May.By Nicholas Fiorenza, Brussels

‘The RDTF had tomove 450 vehiclesand 2,300 containersof materiel.’

The RDTF supervised the redeployment of the 2,000-strong Dutch contingent in Afghanistan backto the Netherlands. (Photo: Netherlands MoD)

MLI_JanFeb11_p08_News_Afghan:MLI_JanFeb11_p07_News_Afghan 11/2/11 11:34 Page 8


NEWS ANALYSIS

www.mil-log.com

Deployment and support of a new combatvehicle suited to the rugged terrain ofAfghanistan has so far gone remarkably well.By late November, Oshkosh Defense haddelivered over 8,000 of its Mine ResistantAmbush Protected (MRAP) All Terrain Vehicles(M-ATVs) to US forces. On 1 December, thecompany received an order for 250 moreambulance versions of the M-ATV. A total of335 Oshkosh field service representatives(FSRs) are now supporting the vehicle fleet in-theatre.

An RfP for repair, return and refurbishmentof all MRAPs is now expected in March. KenJuergens, VP and general manager of jointprogrammes at Oshkosh Defense, said his firmis considering bidding for this work. ‘Now wemake the majority of MRAPs,’ he noted.

FAST MOVERS

The entire M-ATV programme has moved veryfast. The Pentagon asked for a 25,000lb vehiclewith the right survival characteristics againstballistics and blast as well as off-road mobilityin December 2008. Proposals were made inJanuary 2009, and Oshkosh produced twovehicles for tests in February, with three moredelivered for run-off trials in May that year. Thecompany was awarded the contract on June30 and delivered 26 M-ATVs in July. The first M-ATV arrived in Afghanistan in October 2009,and by December Oshkosh was producing1,000 a month.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates toldOshkosh workers in October 2009 that thiswas the fastest development seen since WorldWar II. ‘It was based on the MTVR [MediumTactical Vehicle Replacement] platform, whichoperates extremely well off-road and has400,000 miles of experience,’ Juergensexplained. The MTVR is a US Marine Corps

OSHKOSH FACES MRAPSUPPORT CHALLENGES

(USMC) truck made by Oshkosh with 6.3t ofcapacity off-road.

Oshkosh has trained over 7,000 marines andsoldiers on operating, maintaining and trouble-shooting the vehicle. Lessons learned on earlierMRAP deployments ensured that FSRs, partstocks and battle damage repair kits were pre-positioned before the vehicles arrived. ‘Wehad parts on the ground ahead of time, andthat’s why they have been fielded successfully,’Juergens said. The M-ATV also enjoys partscommonality with the MTVR and several otherplatforms, easing logistics worries.

LIGHTER BUT BETTER

The USMC operates about 1,500 of the 6,500M-ATVs now in Afghanistan, according to David Hansen, principal deputy programmemanager for the Joint MRAP Vehicle Programat Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC).‘The truck is meant to replace Humvees outsidethe wire, to be mobile like a Humvee butsurvivable like an MRAP,’ Hansen explained.That required less weight than even a light17,200kg MRAP, but more than a 7,250-8,150kg HMMWV. ‘It allows people to gowhere they have not gone before.’

The standard M-ATV seats four, with a spotfor the gunner and a small cargo bed, like a pick-up truck. US Special OperationsCommand has taken more than 400 M-ATVswhich differ slightly from the standard version.

Deployment was fast because the marineswanted M-ATVs ‘waiting for people, not peoplewaiting for them’, Hansen stressed. The samelogic put parts, kits and FSRs on the groundfast. ‘We wanted to put FSRs in the field beforethey were needed.’

The preparation appears to have paid off –the entire MRAP programme has neverreported availability at less than 90%, and M-ATVs have never been below 90% either.‘We met expectations and we are very happywith it.’

The biggest support challenge has been thereason for the M-ATV itself. ‘It is the lack ofinfrastructure in Afghanistan,’ Hansen said. ‘It isso hard to distribute parts and FSRs to wherethey are needed and to push them to forwardbases.’ MCSC has worked closely with theDefense Logistics Agency, US TransportationCommand, and US Central Command to meetthese challenges.By Henry Canaday, Washington, DC

‘The marines wantedM-ATVs waiting forpeople, not peoplewaiting for them.’

A newoperationalenvironmentrequires a new vehicle.Supporting themhas requiredOshkosh todeploy over 300 FSRs toAfghanistan.(Photo: US Army)

MLI_JanFeb11_p09_News_Oskosh:MLI_JanFeb11_p09_News_Oskosh 10/2/11 14:25 Page 9

WHEREDO I NEEDYOU?As noted in a recent report to Congress

by the US Government AccountabilityOffice (GAO), ‘The US military has long usedcontractors to provide supplies and services todeployed US forces, and more recentlycontractors have been involved in every majormilitary operation since the 1991 Gulf War.’

The comments emphasise the validity of otherrecent projections, such as those contained in the January 2003 US Army Field Manual FM 3-100.21, Contractors on the Battlefield:‘Contractors have always accompanied ourarmed forces. However, the increasingly hi-technature of our equipment and rapid deploymentrequirements have significantly increased theneed to properly integrate contractor supportinto all military operations. Recent reductions inmilitary structure, coupled with high missionrequirements and the unlikely prospect of fullmobilisation, mean that to reach a minimum ofrequired levels of support, deployed militaryforces will often have to be significantlyaugmented with contractor support. As thesetrends continue, the future battlefield will requireever-increasing numbers of often criticallyimportant contractor employees…’

In light of that reality, MLI recently spoke withrepresentatives of three companies who relatedtheir experiences and responsibilities in the‘contractors forward’ arena.

THEN AND NOW

At General Dynamics C4 Systems, four fieldservice representatives (FSRs)/customer servicerepresentatives shared personal insights gained

while supporting the Common Hardware/Software (CHS) contract and the WarfighterInformation Network-Tactical (WIN-T) in both Iraqand Afghanistan.

Adam Correll served as the CHS-3Contingency Regional Support Center (CRSC)manager in Iraq supporting Operation IraqiFreedom (OIF) from January-December 2005.CRSC is a centralised turn-in point for CHS-sold computer hardware repair acrossmultiple programmes, covering ruggedised andcommercial items such as desktops, laptops,servers and routers.

‘We were there to assist and train youngsoldiers, and they didn’t always have all theresources other organisations did,’ he explained.

Mario Soto, staff engineer, WIN-T Increment1, related changes since his initial contractordeployment in 2003 as part of the US Army’s16th Signal Battalion, when he supported unitsand users using Mobile Subscriber Equipment(MSE), a predecessor to WIN-T.

‘In 2003, we were using MSE. We were rightbehind the 82nd Airborne and 3rd InfantryDivisions, who were at the forefront of the pushinto Iraq,’ he said. ‘It was a tactical environment.At first our living arrangements were in a smalltent, then we moved into a blown-out building.It was tough going – we ate MREs [Meals,Ready-to-Eat] just like the soldiers. At that time,tactical operations centres [TOCs] consisted ofwhiteboards and pushpins.

‘In 2007, just four years later, we were usingWIN-T, and when you walked into the TOC,there were plasma screens and computers, like

North America Editor Scott R Gourleyhears the differentviews of contractorswho have deployedin support of a widerange of equipmentin both Iraq andAfghanistan.

‘We provide a fullyself-containedsupport capability in theatre.’

NASA, and I wondered how we fought in 2003without the technology and capabilities thatcame from WIN-T in 2007.’

ONE ON ONE

Soto described daily FSR activities as ‘a totalconcept of support, rotating equipment in andout. We provided a fully self-contained supportcapability in theatre. We had engineers,technicians, administrators and logisticians. Itwas a complete, full-service operation. Wedirectly supported soldiers, as well as tracking

10

CONTRACTORS


Greater technical complexity means thatthe role of contractors deployed forwardis increasingly to help train maintainers,as a proliferating cascade of equipmentarrives in theatre.

MLI_JanFeb11_p10-12_Contractor:MLI_JanFeb11_p10-12_Contractor 10/2/11 16:42 Page 10

Contractors and troops walk out to a C-130 Hercules in Afghanistan. It is seen as inevitable in US military circlesthat FSRs will be as common on thebattlefield, and often as far forward, asservice personnel. (All photos: US Army)

11www.mil-log.com Volume 6 Issue 1 | January/February 2011 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL

CONTRACTORS

spare parts and keeping an inventory that hadto be very accurate. We worked one on onewith the soldier, troubleshooting with the warrantofficer and providing whatever they needed.

‘I was surprised at the camaraderie thatdeveloped with the soldiers, and when it wastime to leave it was really bittersweet becausethere was unfinished business,’ he recalled.‘Understand these [soldiers] aren’t justcustomers. For me, this process goes back 15years. Some of the warrant officers, colonels andothers were soldiers when I was a soldier. These

are people I’ve known for years, and now, eventhough I’m no longer in uniform, I’m still workingwith them, supporting them on their mission.

‘I believe there may be a misconception thatwe’re going there for the money,’ he added.‘Nothing could be further from the truth. We gobecause we are veterans and we have acommitment to the success of the army. Wemay not be wearing a uniform, but we still havethe same values as we did when we were onactive duty.’

Aaron Morrison, a field satellite engineer for WIN-T Increment 1, was deployed inAfghanistan from June 2009 to June 2010,where he provided support for the satcomtransmission side and helped with satellite linkswithin theatre (tactical) as well as ‘long-haul’(strategic) communications to Iraq, Kuwait,Germany and other countries.

‘One of the most important functions was tofully focus and develop a rapport [with thesoldiers] so they were comfortable asking forwhatever they might need, no matter how small.It is a main part of what we do,’ he said.

Asked about ‘surprises’ that came with thejob, he replied: ‘One of the big things for mewas supporting Task Force Phoenix in Kabul,including the National Guard who wereresponsible for training the Afghan NationalArmy and Afghan National Police. They oftenworked with personnel from other branches of service. These individuals were working

outside their normal job specialities, and it wasinteresting how some of them were verytechnical and could be trained up quickly.Everyone was contributing.’

FSR FUTURE

Asked to speculate about the future of FSR activities in his area of responsibility, Soto offered: ‘We are fighting in non-traditionalwars. Soldiers rely on near-real-time informationthat requires a complex infrastructure to deliver mission-critical data that will help us catch the bad guys [who are] trying to hurt us.I see the role of FSRs increasing as thecomplexity of the equipment grows and as troopstrength decreases.’

Robert Crews, director of field support for thereadiness and sustainment business within USCombat Systems at BAE Systems, oversees asizeable network of over 1,000 contractorscurrently deployed.

‘Out of those 1,000 reps, not all of them areconsidered FSRs,’ he explained. ‘We havemechanics, certified welders, quality inspectorsand so forth – essentially, every skill complementyou would need to offer a complete life-cyclemaintenance service to our warfighters.’

Noting that the company offers this servicefor a multitude of different platforms across theircomplete life cycles, he added: ‘On every pieceof equipment we manufacture, we provide somesort of a service. �


Contractors finish the installation of an observation aerostat at a basein Afghanistan. Should this job be undertaken by people in uniform, orcan it as easily be done by FSRs? The arguments rage back and forth.

12

CONTRACTORS


‘I think it’s really important for the servicesector to note that we, at BAE Systems, prideourselves on “augmenting” as opposed to“complete servicing”. It’s important that we helpthe military, or augment the military, to grow theirinternal experience complement. It’s very easy for an OEM to just come in and take over.But that doesn’t solve the problems. We wantto make sure that those warfighters are asexperienced as they can possibly be to performtheir mission, in case we’re not there.’

As part of that philosophy, Crews noted arough ‘three-tier’ classification of contractordeployed services: advise first; augment second;and perform third.

In terms of recent activities that brought asense of pride to the organisation, he pointedto the company’s ongoing independentsuspension system modification work takingplace in Afghanistan. ‘Facilities in Afghanistanare few and far between, and backlogged for many months,’ he observed. ‘So we, as acompany, chose to erect maintenance facilitiesto perform this modification.’

This choice provided the military with myriadbenefits, ranging from reduction of potentiallosses during vehicle transportation through thewar zone to higher operational readiness rates.‘So we are doing extensive modifications tovehicle platforms in the combat zone as wespeak,’ Crews said.

Asked about messages for warfighters, hereplied: ‘Part of our process at BAE Systems isthat when we bring in service providers, we areheavily weighted with people with past militaryservice. In some cases, warfighters mightmistakenly think that we’re in it for the money.But that’s not it. Every single one of the FSRs,first and foremost, truly appreciates everything

that the warfighter does. And our main goal isto do everything we can to make them better.Our reputation is pretty good because of that,and that’s important to us.

‘We are an aid to the military,’ he reiterated.‘We may not be “official” partners, but weconsider ourselves as trying to achieve the same goals.’

RAPID SUPPORT

In some cases, that partnership begins longbefore a system ever hits the field. As describedby Lee Flake, programme director for therecently fielded EQ-36 (Enhanced AN/TPQ-36Counterfire Target Acquisition Radar) fromLockheed Martin, the FSR support structuretakes shape very early in a new system’sdevelopment process.

Pointing to an accelerated four-year timetablein which the company simultaneously built bothproduction and engineering developmentsystems, Flake observed: ‘When we got thecontract with the army to build the productionsystems, it was clear that we had to set up asupport structure using contractors for theseradars as they deployed into the combat theatre. So we started working on that right away, with the recognition that two thingswould be critical: a good supporting sparessupply concept; and FSRs deployed with theradars to work with army crews and helpmaintain them.’

Somewhat surprisingly, the hiring of the FSRsbegan one year prior to delivery of the firstproduction systems. ‘We put them through avery rigorous training period,’ Flake said. ‘We dosome things – I don’t know if they are unique –designed to provide the best possible supportfor these radars. After all, we could have the best

piece of equipment the army had ever seen, butif it wasn’t supported right it wouldn’t matter.’

More than 90% of the company’s FSRs are ‘prior service’, with extensive experience as army or US Marine Corps radar technicians.The majority of that group also have pastdeployments into combat theatres with legacyradar systems.

INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE

‘When we hire these guys, we bring them intoour plant, where we take about a month to getthem processed, with an understanding of theprogramme and their responsibilities,’ Flakeexplained. ‘Then we “link them up” with a radaras it is being built. They stay with that radarthrough its build, through its integration and test,and then they go with that radar during the newequipment training period.

‘From that point forward – to the actual sign-over to the army, through pre-deploymenttraining and through deployment – that FSR isessentially part of the unit. He stays with theradar.’ The process not only provides the FSRwith an intimate knowledge of the hardware, butalso means they meet the soldiers and becomepart of the radar team prior to deployment.

In terms of activities in theatre, Flake said thatFSRs can generally solve any problems thatmight arise. However, the forward-deployedcontractors are also supported by thecompany’s 24/7 command/support centre,which is staffed by more senior FSRs.

Asked about a possible evolution of the FSR experience based on lessons learned,Flake replied: ‘What we have seen is that the army has been extremely quick to adapt to things that our FSRs find and point out to us. If something comes up, or our FSRsdetermine that there is something that thesoldiers need, that very quickly gets incorp-orated into future new equipment trainingperiods. Then, as we find something in theatrethat seems to be an issue, we are quickly ableto pass word back to the army, and to our FSRswho have not yet deployed, so that we areconstantly learning.’ MLI


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MLI_JanFeb11_p13.indd 13 10/02/2011 12:19:57

GAININGGROUNDEquipment support (ES) has arguably

become the key link in the operationalsupport chain, with operations in Iraq, Lebanonand Afghanistan exhibiting the remarkablestresses put on equipment.

Failure and breakdown rates on operationstend to occur at levels that few, if any, mechanics have ever predicted or expected tosee, but the support of land systems platforms and major subsystems is hampered by a simple factor – to date, very few have been fitted with health and usage monitoring systems (HUMS) to allow for faster, morefocussed, more accurate and often more timely support.

This contrasts with air systems, which havebeen fitted with HUMS and a variety of built-intest equipment and the like for many years. MLIhas observed Merlin HC3 operations in Iraq andKuwait where support crews were able to checkthe system every day and could arrangemaintenance around the operational use cycle.This is common in Afghanistan today for othersystems such as the Apache attack helicopterand a variety of support rotorcraft such as the Chinook.

EUROPEAN FLAVOUR

HUMS are not particularly common on boardmany European vehicles, although as time haspassed, countries buying commercial productsadapted for military use have more and moreoften found themselves ‘owning’ HUMSsystems which are more or less standard in thecivilian market.

As regards more ‘military’ vehicles, the IvecoLightweight Modular Vehicle (LMV), in servicewith ten European countries, is fully fitted withdiagnostic equipment, and newer armouredfighting platforms, such as KMW/RheinmetallDefence Puma infantry carrier vehicles, are alsofitted with diagnostic systems as standard.

‘There are far more platforms, far morevehicles [in the land environment] – the scale ismuch bigger than the assets in an air force ornavy,’ one top-ranking officer told MLI at theShephard Military Logistics conference inNovember last year.

Another added that the ‘difference betweenhealth monitoring for aircraft or a vehicle is that one costs £35 million, the other costs £100,000’, while arguing that the costequation was not in favour of HUMS in theground environment.

Francis Tusa and Peter Donaldson look at the challengesthat have so far hindered the use of land-vehicle HUMS.

‘Safety is arelatively newpoint of emphasisin land forces.’

One great example of the negative, evenhostile, views of HUMS comes from the UK’sSupport Vehicle (SV) fleet. Every one of theMAN ERF trucks is fitted with HUMS, but as acost-cutting measure when the vehicles cameinto service, no software licences for the systemswere procured. As a result, no data werecollected and no pattern of use analysis has everbeen undertaken. It was only earlier in 2010 thata small number of licences – some 400 – werebought to monitor SV trucks on operations in Afghanistan.

In most land vehicles, there are very fewindividual components whose sudden failure is

14

DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS


The ability to accurately predict when maintenance will be needed means less time spent takingequipment out of vehicles, such as time-consuming tank power pack changes. (Photo: MLI)

US Army personnel carry out fieldmaintenance on their Bradley in Iraq.Upgrades to much of the fleet will seeVHMS added to provide the user withmore data about how their vehicle isperforming. (Photo: US Army)

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DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS

likely to cause fatalities, with tyres, brakes andgun breeches being likely exceptions. This hasa profound effect on the cost-benefit analysis.Without such a powerful safety case behind it,implementation of HUMS in land vehicles hasto be justified by saving money on maintenanceand/or increasing fleet availability, and thesystems themselves have to be orders ofmagnitude cheaper.

A helicopter HUMS installation might cost£200,000 per platform, but ‘in the landenvironment even £1,000 is difficult to justify asan add-on for a vehicle’, said Tina Haggett,business development manager for UK HUMSsupplier Dytecna.

Even in helicopters, the maintenance and logistical upside of HUMS proved much more difficult to realise than the safetybenefits, which gives an idea of the challengeoperators face as they try to apply the systems to ground vehicles. The UK MoD in particular is struggling, a situation compli-cated further by the need to work through the implications of the budget cuts inflicted in the recent Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

It is six years since the MoD published itsstrategy for bringing HUMS into its land vehiclefleets, but so far only the 4x4 Panther Commandand Liaison Vehicle fleet has a system (from

Dytecna) installed. Panther was introduced intoservice at a time when the MoD was moreenthusiastic about the technology and it insistedthat all new vehicles had to have HUMS unlessa strong case against fitting it could be made.Shortly afterwards, the attitude changed.Although the MoD still regarded HUMS asdesirable, it insisted on a favourable cost-benefitanalysis as a precondition for fitment. This hasproved particularly tricky, and no systems haveentered service since Panther.

However, in July 2009 BAE Systems got thego-ahead to devise a more effective supportregime for the Challenger main battle tank

(MBT), of which an integrated HUMS packagewould be a key element. The bid deadline wasthe end of 2009, with a decision due in mid-2010. So far, nothing has been announced.

DIFFERENT BENEFITS

‘The reason it has been so difficult is that they haven’t really pinned down what they want to use it for,’ Haggett continued. ‘Thebenefit of HUMS could come from a lot ofdifferent areas, so unless they pin down howthey want to use it and why, you can’t do thecost-benefit analysis.’

Also, it appears that many defence ministrieshave not pinned down whether they want to usethe data operationally on the front line or whetherthey want to access them back at headquartersto inform maintenance and logistic planning.

Whether HUMS is required to supportcondition-based maintenance (CBM), con-tracting for availability or as a means of supp-orting schedule-based maintenance has aprofound effect on the design of the systems.

‘If they want to use it for [CBM], that’s oneset of metrics in the cost-benefit case, but if theywant to use it for fleet management, that’s adifferent set. If they want to use it to enableavailability contracts where, really, it is theprime/OEM that’s using the data to verify theavailability of the platform, that is a completelydifferent cost case,’ Haggett observed.

HUMS has yet to make amajor impact on groundvehicle fleets. Muchsupport/maintenance isundertaken on ‘a wing anda prayer’, rather than on thebasis of knowledge orneed. (Photo: SAP Info)

�


16

DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS


The concept of CBM is a particularly attractive one. The idea is that if the condition of components and the usage patterns they are being subjected to can be known withaccuracy, then their service lives can be safely extended. But maintaining vehicles on-condition can seriously disrupt establishedmaintenance and logistics systems predicatedon scheduled servicing.

The trick is to get the benefit of extendedcomponent lives without making life impossiblefor maintenance planners and logisticians. It isa difficult one to pull off, but the aviation industryhas been successful, using accurate knowledgeof the condition of components to inform themaintenance planning process and enabletechnicians to order the right spares for eachvehicle ahead of time.

‘[CBM] is a compelling argument,’ saidHaggett, ‘but [the MoD] would have to changetheir whole logistics pattern to support thatdifferent approach to maintenance.’

There seems to be rather more clarity on the other side of the Atlantic, where Dytecna has been working with a US DoD team for about three years to optimise land-vehicle HUMS for CBM. ‘They are very focussed onwhat information they want out of the system andon what they want the system to do,’ Haggettadded. ‘We have supplied a large number oftrials systems and a lot of development effort tothem to make the product do exactly what they want.’

GREATER DEMAND

What is apparent is that when one talks to theUS defence market, HUMS or vehicle healthmonitoring systems (VHMS) are becoming farmore important to the military than seems to bethe case elsewhere.

‘For the Ground Combat Vehicle [GCV],HUMS/VHMS is mandated,’ William Miller,GCV programme manager at BAE Systems,told MLI. ‘It’s part of the overall effect. You needHUMS/VHMS to see what’s wrong, what youneed, and how you can fix it. It’s all about drivingthe life-cycle cost down.’

But the drive to introduce advanceddiagnostic and prognostic systems is under wayelsewhere. The Bradley A3 upgrade programmesees a digital architecture implemented in thevehicle (some 2,500 M2/M3A3s are set to beordered in total), which allows an initial HUMSto be fitted.

‘The A3 has the beginnings of VHMS, sothere are some diagnostics,’ John Tile, directorof Bradley programmes at BAE Systems, toldMLI. ‘And the ODS SA [M2A2 OperationDesert Storm Situational Awareness] is alsogetting HUMS. And as each capability upgradeis embodied, they change the VHMS. Everyoneunderstands the advantages to move fromdiagnostics to prognostics, and that’s where thisis heading. It seems obvious that you’d want totake data off a vehicle and put it into a supportIT system like aircraft guys have been doing for ages.’

The M1 Abrams is also seeing a drive toretrofit VHMS systems, as Barry Wilson, aGeneral Dynamics Land Systems M1 engineer,told MLI at the AUSA Annual Meeting inOctober. ‘They are talking about this right nowunder an army contract, so it should be inservice very soon. We have installed such asystem for test at Yuma Proving Ground, so wecan show off what it provides to the overallcapability of the vehicle.’

For both Bradley and Abrams, one of the keyadvances seen in fitting electronic architecture,and then HUMS, is that you can installelectronic support manuals as well. This then allows vehicle crews to do far more of thebasic maintenance – something which militariessuch as the British Army see as a necessary way forward.

What is evident from all of the currentprogrammes, rather than the future GCV, is that

there is absolute agreement about the value andneed for HUMS/VHMS. Also, retrofitting thesesystems to old, so-called ‘legacy vehicles’ is notseen as any form of problem but something thatcan be easily achieved. Finally, at no stage whentalking to US industry or military has anyoneraised ‘concern’ about what metrics need to becollected. The general reaction is that either thisis simple to work out, or at the very ‘worst’, youcan fit HUMS and then use it to see what youneed to concentrate on.

TRANSMISSION CHANGES

Another challenge faced in implementingHUMS for land vehicles is that of data retrieval.Aircraft, including the North Sea oil and gashelicopter support fleets, usually return to baseat the end of the working day, making it relativelysimple to download data and transfer them to aprocessing facility. Retrieval imposes a muchgreater logistical burden on those tasked withsupporting large fleets of vehicles that may bewidely scattered around a theatre of operations.

The obvious solution of retrieving the datausing telemetry via the vehicles’ tactical radiosystems raises problems in the realms ofoperational security and communicationsbandwidth. For these reasons, many militarieshave been reluctant to allow the use of tacticalradios for this purpose.

Onboard processing of HUMS data can goa long way to overcoming the bandwidthproblem by dramatically reducing the amount ofinformation that has to be sent over a radio link.‘With a land vehicle you don’t have to see everyminute temperature change,’ Haggett explained.‘You just need to know whether, over the last halfhour, the temperature has started to creep up.If it is obviously trending out of control, then youneed to know.

The UK’s JAMES IT systemallows managers to utiliseground vehicle fleets tobest effect, althoughwithout widespreadimplementation of HUMS,there will be limits to thegranularity of the data.(Photo: Lockheed Martin UK)



DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEMS

www.mil-log.com

‘Because you haven’t got the safety case[and] because you haven’t got the criticalvibration data that you have in the helicopterHUMS, you can take a very different approachto how you deal with the information that you’regathering. Lots of it could be statistically reducedand discarded,’ she stated.

In principle, satellite communications offer aclear alternative and currently appear to be theUK MoD’s preferred option. Several industryconsortia are believed to be preparing for arequest for quotations expected in 2011. ‘Weare currently positioning ourselves for aprogramme that involves a satellite solution thatthe MoD has indicated that they may fund,’Haggett concluded. ‘It is all based around usingeither commercial or military satellites andencryption. But again, you can’t add too muchcost to the platform, [because] then you’ve gotthe airtime cost of satellite use. So the key isfinding a solution that would be justifiable in aland platform environment.’

THE HUMS DRIVER

But there are factors that are starting to impacton all ground forces which ensure that HUMSwill become a given, rather than an option.

Most European countries are looking at implementing some form of whole fleet

management (WFM), whereby fleets ofarmoured or soft-skinned vehicles are managedcentrally, rather than being parcelled out toindividual units. Examples of this exist in the UK,where a WFM programme has seen theintroduction of the relevant principles alongsidethose of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Asset Manage-ment and Engineering Solutions (JAMES).

Equipment, when not needed for operationsor training, is kept in environmentally controlledstorage, rather than cold, damp vehicle sheds.Germany, too, has the HIL programme coveringthe entire military vehicle fleet, while in France,support of the Leclerc MBT and the VBCI 8x8AFV is being handed to the OEM, Nexter, tomaintain and support on a case-by-case basis.

WFM systems can only work if theinformation is there to support decision-making,and that ultimately needs HUMS. This is eventruer when – as WFM promises – fleet sizescan be reduced. The information chain is evenmore vital, as users would not want a singlepoint of fleet failure to exist in it.

Cdre Mike Bath, assistant chief of staff, J1/J4at the UK Permanent Joint Headquarters, toldthe Military Logistics conference: ‘We don’tunderstand what we need to get vehicles on theroad as soon as possible. Sometimes, morethan 30% of our vehicles are off the road.’

He added that there was a pressing need toobtain more information about vehicle usageand reliability, and this would mean a drive for HUMS.

Then, there is the operational perspective thatis starting to get traction in driving HUMSimplementation forward. ‘We need to be able tounderstand what’s going on with our platforms,’Lt Col Stefan Crossfield of the Royal Electricaland Mechanical Engineers (REME) told MLI.

‘Can REME be there all of the time tomaintain equipment? Probably not. REME willprobably be concentrated in central areas andthen deployed when they are needed. So thismeans that we need to trust our users more and train them to do the BITE [built-in testequipment] and local repair pieces.’ This, he described, means that the user needsinformation about the equipment, and this meansHUMS in whatever format.

Elsewhere, the move for more first-line repairsto be undertaken by non-specialist users ratherthan maintenance technicians is common across all armed forces. This means that locally derived information will be needed. In the short term, apart from new-build AFVprogrammes, retrofits of electronic architectureto current equipment – the British Army’sWarrior Mechanised Infantry Combat Vehicle is one example and the Leopard 2 MBT isanother – will enable diagnostic systems to beadded at the same time.

A final factor was highlighted by Maj GenChris Deverell, director general of logistics,support and equipment, UK HQ Land: ‘Safetyis a relatively new point of emphasis in landforces. We wouldn’t have included this concepta few years earlier.’

His reference to safety is one to the ‘duty ofcare’ that British commanders can be held towhen they authorise troops to undertakeoperations – they are required to have doneeverything possible to ensure that equipment isfit for purpose, and this means that commandersneed far greater knowledge about the status ofthat equipment, which in turn drives a legal needfor HUMS. MLI

In the UK, only the Panther Command and Liaison Vehicle has been fullyfitted for HUMS – but it should be one of many. (Photo: BAE Systems)

‘£1,000 is difficult tojustify as an add-on

for a vehicle.’


POWERTOTHEPERSONNEL

Keeping the battlefield supplied withpower is a vital role that has significant

logistical implications. A glance at the currentoperating conditions of forward operating bases(FOBs) shows that generators must besufficiently ruggedised to operate in harshenvironments, extreme weather, and dry anddusty surroundings. They must also haveadequately small logistical footprints, able to beeasily transported into and out of theatre, as wellas being easy to maintain with regard to theresources available within the FOB itself.

With fuel prices and otherlogistical challenges on the rise, the race is on forcompanies to develop moreefficient solutions for powergeneration on the battlefield.Claire Apthorp examinessome of the current projects.

‘If you can fix the way anFOB is set up, you canpotentially knock out80% of your usage.’

In order to maximise operational capabilities,military-grade generators are increasingly beingrequired to function efficiently and quietly, withlow electronic emissions and economical useof fuel; this is a complex mix of challenges beingmet by industry in a number of ways.

MAN-PORTABLE

The most successful military-grade systems inuse have largely become so due to being simpleand reliable. One of the most widely deployedman-portable systems in use with the US Armyis the 2kW, diesel-operated Military TacticalGenerator (MTG) family, manufactured byDewey Electronics. The company was awardeda ten-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity(IDIQ) contract by the army in 2001, and around15,000-16,000 units are in use with the USmilitary to date.

John Dewey, chairman, CEO and presidentof Dewey Electronics, spoke to MLI about whythe product had been so successful in gainingand maintaining the confidence of the armedforces. ‘We’re about simplicity and reliability,’ hesaid. ‘Our generator is probably the most reliableof any of the military-grade generators, and that’sdown to design – there’s a lot less on it to break,and the things that do break can be seen rightaway and fixed with duct tape and chewinggum, so to speak. More complicated systemsrequire complex logistical trails, and it’s verydifficult to train people on an FOB in thattechnology, so that means flying in support,which becomes expensive and impractical.’

The 2kW system is usually the first generatoron site when setting up a new FOB. Easilytransportable by an HMMWV or similar-sizedvehicle, the device is used to provide initial

18

MILITARY GENERATORS


The Dewey 2kW device is usually the first generator on sitewhen a new FOB is being set up. (Photo: Dewey Electronics)

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The LFG has beenheralded as abenchmark productby the UK MoD.(Photo: HGI)


MILITARY GENERATORS

power for the base during construction, whichmight take anything between one and threedays. At this point, the larger generators are inplace, the main power station has beenestablished, and the 2kW product can bestored until needed for camp breakdown. Froma portability perspective, it is the only military-grade generator able to serve this purpose.

‘This is still the top driving requirement thatwe hear from the US DoD,’ stated Dewey. ‘It’sabout reliability, maintainability and, increasingly,fuel consumption.’

SMARTER PRODUCTS

Fuel consumption and increasing the efficiencyof military-grade generators are particular aspectsthat a lot of companies are starting to look at asthe price of fuel rises. ‘There’s a lot to be said forsmart power management,’ he explained. ‘Moreefficient generators can eke out 5%, 10%,maybe 50% of fuel savings, which is significant,but if you can fix the way an FOB is set up, youcan potentially knock out 80% of your usage.’

From a logistics perspective, the size of themachine required to run a particular FOB isdecided by assuming that all systems in thecamp are turned on and running simultaneously.‘But if you go out into the field and actuallymeasure the power usage on those camps,they’ve never recorded a power requirement atthat level,’ Dewey said. ‘They have generators onsite large enough to provide that amount, but

those ones run terribly inefficiently at partialload – a generator that might consume 23l perhour at full load is probably still consuming 20lper hour at a quarter load.

‘So to manage that grid you need smartergenerators that know what the camp needs.These will charge their batteries, and then whenthe camp only needs low energy, they will let the batteries provide that power. This is whereyou can have quite significant fuel savings,’ he continued.

The US Army Tank Automotive Research,Development and Engineering Center(TARDEC) has embarked on a project withHoneywell to develop emerging micro-gridtechnology for a similar purpose: to increaseefficiency and reduce fossil-fuel consumption inremote US Army locations. The micro-grid willpotentially enable the army to decrease thenumber or size of generators needed byinterfacing with and controlling legacy units, aswell as providing electrical energy autonomy inremote locations and improving poweravailability. The potential fuel savings are up to60%, and a lesser reliance on fuel will meanimprovements in warfighter safety, as fewerconvoys will be needed to keep bases supplied.

SILENT WATCH

The concept of smarter generators goes handin hand with the emerging idea of silent units.Nordic Power Systems is working closely with

the Norwegian Army on a wide variety ofprogrammes, and the former’s CEO, Tor-GeirEngebretsen, spoke to MLI about the group’swork in this area.

‘A major driving requirement for the defenceindustry at the moment is silence,’ he explained.‘We have been approached by a considerablenumber of defence firms over the last year, and they’re asking for systems that are silent and have low emissions.’ This is of particularinterest for surveillance and covert missions,when invisibility is really key – for example, the ability to park an armoured vehicle or tank, switch off the main engine, and still have silent power to run all of the cooling and communication systems. The facility to eliminate noise emissions while retaining power is likely to be very attractive to militaryusers over the coming years, including the USArmy, whose Silent Watch programme isworking towards this goal.

Nordic Power Systems’ patented silent and clean power generator is based on fuel cell technology, and the emission-friendly solutionhas potential applications for stand-alonegenerators and hybrid-electric vehicles. Thetechnology itself is unique, allowing on-boardand on-demand production of hydrogen from conventional fuels like diesel and bio oils, enabling fuel cells to be operated without any need for a hydrogen supply chainor storage. �


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MILITARY GENERATORS


The prototype generator is forming the basisof the Cool Flame project being carried out inpartnership with Marshall Land Systems (MLS).In December 2010, it was announced that thesystem would be ready to demonstrate tocarefully selected end users by the spring of thisyear, following successful independent testingby both partners.

The silent, diesel-powered product isdesigned to produce power outputs suitable fordriving a wide variety of electronic equipmentand provide auxiliary power where silent runningis required. According to Tim Otter, futurebusiness director at MLS, who spoke to MLIabout the programme, the Norwegian militaryhas had exposure to the system and isinterested in it.

‘When looking at the requirements that drove the technology, they were threefold,’ hesaid. ‘First, it must comply with the NATO fuel policy; two, it should be quiet – preferablytruly silent, but as quiet as possible; and three, [it was necessary] to understand themass/volume issues to do with the scalability ofpower and get it down to a size that is useful onthe battlefield.’

Another major concern of the developmentwas to achieve a good understanding and animmediate reduction of the electromagneticsignature issues. ‘We have done that,’ Otter

Around 4,000 LFGs are in active service withthe British military, including as an auxiliary powersource on the Warthog vehicles being deployedto Afghanistan with the British Army. Accordingto Sinclair, one thing that makes the LFG so special is that it was the first variable-speed-inverter generator to be used by thecountry’s army. The LFG has the ability to output any voltage configuration at any time: 110V,240V AC and 28V DC. It can run at multiplespeeds with total voltage stability for sensitiveapplications, whilst delivering optimum fuel efficiency.

‘The LFG can replace various AC and DCgenerators all in one,’ he said, ‘which makes itversatile and cutting edge for its time, and helpsto keep the supply chain to a minimum.’

OVERALL POWER SOLUTION

When talking about the future of the militarygenerator market, Sinclair pointed to clean fuel –something that HGI is continuously looking at,particularly as the British MoD is becomingincreasingly interested in reducing its relianceon fossil fuels over the coming years. ‘It’s likelyto become a key requirement within the nextdecade,’ he opined. ‘And we’re looking atalternative sources and ways to incorporatethose into an overall power solution.’

Logistical convoys are increasingly comingunder IED attack in Afghanistan and Iraq, and with the price of fuel rising year on year, alternative energy sources have manypotential benefits when it comes to looking at the difficulties involved in keeping thebattlefield supplied with power. Along with other considerations, including electronicemissions, maintenance and transportation ofthe generators themselves, industry players arestriving to meet these challenges in new andinnovative ways, and to increase the operationalcapabilities of FOBs around the world. MLI

This HGI auxiliary power unit powers the Italian

Army’s ARTHURweapon locating

system radars.(Photo: HGI)

‘A major drivingrequirement forthe defenceindustry at themoment issilence.’

The diesel-operated MTG is one of the mostwidely deployed man-portable systems in usewith the US Army. (Photo: Dewey Electronics)

continued, ‘and we are now in the process ofeliminating those problems.

‘We’ve demonstrated it in conceptual form toa number of potential UK military users, andthere’s definitely a “wow” factor. We haveagreed to continue the work we’re doing andkeep potential customers up to date with ourprogress so that they can see where we’regoing and help us to shape that work because,at the end of the day, there’s no point creatinga product that is fantastic but has little practicalmilitary application.’

ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN

One of the most widely deployed militarygenerators used by the British MoD is the 2kW Lightweight Field Generator (LFG),manufactured by Harrington GeneratorsInternational (HGI). Ian Sinclair, defence accountmanager for the firm, spoke to MLI about theimpact that logistical practicalities can have on generator usage and deployment in themilitary sector.

‘The LFG has been heralded as a benchmarkproduct by the MoD,’ he said. ‘It was developedwith versatility in mind, in large part because ofthe logistical footprint of generators in a militarysetting.’ The LFG is versatile, is able to generatedifferent power outputs and is capable of beingused as an auxiliary power unit on vehicles. ‘Andas it can produce whatever power is required inharsh environments, the machine is beingspecified as the generator to be used on variousother systems that are being brought into theMoD,’ Sinclair explained.

Versatility is important because the MoD islooking to keep restrictions on the number ofdifferent types of generators it has to look after.Not only can the LFG be easily transported onpractically any vehicle in the British militaryinventory, but it can be incorporated into differentsystems. And as HGI is focussed on retainingas much commonality as possible betweenmodified versions on different platforms, thesupply chain does not have to be altered orrecreated in order to support numerousgenerator types.



‘Customers are alllooking for the samethree things – range,payload and reliability.’

AIRLIFT

T he Asia-Pacific transport aircraft marketis currently well served by a handful of

established airlift platforms that carry out troopand equipment transport, as well as disaster andhumanitarian relief operations.

The region has a mix of both legacy fleet andnext-generation aircraft, and is likely to seesignificant growth in this area over the comingdecade. As Asian countries become wealthier,more militarily ambitious and concerned abouttheir economic exclusion zones, the collectiverequirement for multi-role aircraft with theversatility to meet a number of missions is fuellingan increase in demand for both tactical andstrategic airlift platforms.

GLOBAL WORKHORSE

The transport aircraft requirements of Asia-Pacific countries are unique in many ways. Withvast coastlines and land areas to cover, themovement of supplies and personnel, evenwithin a country, can require aircraft capable ofcovering strategic distances. The LockheedMartin C-130, often referred to as the workhorseof the world’s medium-lift fleet, is operated bynumerous nations within the region, includingAustralia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, NewZealand, the Philippines, Singapore, SouthKorea, Taiwan and Thailand, either in its original guise or in improved C-130J SuperHercules form.

‘We sold the first C-130 Hercules into theAsia-Pacific region in 1957 to Australia, andsince then, 170 aircraft have been sold in thatmarket segment,’ Jack Crisler, Lockheed Martin’sbusiness development director, C-130Jinternational, told MLI. ‘When you look at ourcustomers within the region, they are all lookingfor exactly the same three things – range,payload and reliability.

‘The C-130 delivers on all of those require-ments, and we have over 700,000 flight hoursunder our belt. So I can go to a customer todayand tell them a story of proven performance, aproven manufacturing process, and provendelivery of aircraft of the highest quality ever �

WINGSOVERTHEPACIFIC

Claire Apthorp examines the evolving strategic and tactical air transport requirements of nationsin the Asia-Pacific region, and looks at the range of aircraft types in service or under evaluation.

Malaysia is a prolific user of the ‘classic’ C-130, with aircraft split between two units, 14 and 20 Sqns. (Photo: ADF)

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AIRLIFT


experienced. With the C-130, the customerknows exactly what they are getting – highperformance and virtually no risk.’

Importantly, Lockheed sees the C-130 asbeing ideally suited to the cargo loads that arebeing carried within the region, both in supportof military operations and on humanitarianmissions. The J model, with all-new engines,combines a strategic range with the tacticalcapabilities of the C-130H, as well as addingtrue multi-role and multi-mission capabilities andgreater operational efficiency. ‘All of this increasescustomer value,’ Crisler said, ‘and our customersunderstand the importance of that value.’

CONTINUING SUCCESS

The C-130J is seeing increasing deployment.Within the past few years, a number of nationshave placed orders for the type, either underForeign Military Sales (FMS) with the USgovernment or a direct commercial sale. The firstof six C-130Js was delivered to the Indian AirForce (IAF) in December 2010. These wereordered in 2008 as part of an FMS deal worth$1.2 billion. The package includes aircrew andmaintenance training, spares, ground supportand test equipment, servicing carts, forklifts,loading vehicles, cargo pallets, and a team oftechnical specialists who will be based in Indiafor a three-year initial support period.

A number of systems are included in the aircraft to meet IAF special operationscapability requirements, including an infrared

detection set for precision low-level flying,airdrops and landing in blackout conditions. Self-protection systems and other features arealso included to ensure aircraft survivability inhostile air defence environments, as well as air-to-air receiver refuelling capability for extended-range operations.

The Republic of Korea (RoK) also signed acontract with Lockheed in December for thedelivery of four longer-fuselage ‘stretched’combat delivery C-130J variants. Delivery isscheduled for 2014 and includes a two-yearsupport programme comprising aircrew andmaintenance training.

‘The RoK has flown the C-130H for manyyears and is very excited about the newcapability that the C-130J will bring to its airforce,’ said Jim Grant, Lockheed Martin’s VP,business development, air mobility. ‘Thestretched-fuselage version adds 15ft – two palletpositions – to the aircraft. And as they operatea legacy fleet already, they will be able to takeadvantage of support equipment, commonspares and knowledge of the C-130H to reachfull operational capability as soon as possible.’

Singapore is currently upgrading its C-130Hfleet with Rockwell Collins navigation andsurveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM)technology, resulting in a state-of-the-art flightdeck and improved situational awareness

capabilities. Life extension and upgradeprogrammes such as this figure strongly inLockheed’s marketing strategy for the region.

‘The legacy aeroplanes that we built 20 yearsago are still flying at a fairly high operationaltempo, and this market for recapitalisation of airmobility capability and sustainment, andupgrades of existing fleets, provides us withopportunities to look at how those aeroplanesremain viable for their entire service life,’ Grantexplained. ‘Customers must evaluate theirmission requirements against their budgets anddetermine the viability of extensive upgradesversus moving over to the C-130J, and we’rethere to support them either way.’

In all, Lockheed is looking forward to acontinued period of success within the Asia-Pacific market. ‘Our customers are familiar andhappy with the C-130, and we believe we arein the sweet spot of customer requirements,’ saidGrant. ‘The C-130J is able to work in “high/hot”environments very effectively, and the aeroplanecan be configured quickly to deal with a wholerange of multi-mission requirements. We’re aproven performer and can deliver at no risk toour customer. They know exactly what they’regetting, so we expect the market for airlift –particularly in the size bracket where the C-130Jsits – to continue to be very attractive.’

TACTICAL CONTENDER

At the smaller end of the medium tactical airliftmarket, the Alenia/L-3 C-27J has a maximumpayload of 11,300kg and can be configured fora variety of missions including troop transport,medical evacuation, airdrop or cargo lift. It islighter than a C-130J and is able to make betteruse of short and unprepared airstrips. The typeis being evaluated by Australia, India and Taiwan.Ken McAlpin, VP of programmes for L-3Communications Integrated Systems, believesthat the aircraft’s versatility will drive interest inthe Asia-Pacific market – an area he believes tobe particularly well suited to the C-27J.

The Indian Air Force took delivery of its first C-130J Super Hercules during theAero India show in Bangalore in February. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

The RAAF now has four C-17s for its strategic airliftneeds. The type has beenwidely used to supportAustralian troops inAfghanistan. (Photo: ADF)



AIRLIFT

www.mil-log.com

‘When you look at the countries in the Asia-Pacific region, a lot of them don’t require the fullcargo capacity of a C-130, so a C-27J givesthem what they actually need,’ he said. ‘And itshandling of unprepared airfields means it hasthe capability to go to more places. The Asia-Pacific region has so much variation in the typesof missions carried out by tactical airlifters, whichis well met by the C-27J’s versatility – it givesthem more cards to play, and there’s greatefficiency in that.’

The C-27J’s smaller size makes the aircraft agood match for the Royal Australian Air Force(RAAF), which has an ongoing requirement for fixed-wing airlifters since the retirement of its DHC-4 Caribou fleet in 2009. TheAustralian Defence Force’s (ADF’s) Project Air8000 is seeking to enhance intra-theatre and regional airlift capability with solutions able to operate from a wide range of rudimentary airstrips with useful payload, rangeand frontline survivability.

‘When you look at Australia’s operatingenvironment, the C-27J is a great matchbecause of the short take-off and landing, and it matches well with the Caribou’s size,which would make it a great replacement if they wanted to do that.’ Also on the C-27J’s sideis the fact that it shares engines and othersystems with the C-130J, which from a logisticsstandpoint makes it very attractive tocustomers – like Australia – who already operateSuper Hercules aircraft.

A leading selling point for the C-27J in theAsia-Pacific market is the aircraft’s selection bythe USAF for its Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA)competition in 2007. ‘As with any internationalprogramme, it’s very helpful when you go outinto the market with something that’s already inthe US military’s inventory,’ McAlpin explained.‘Potential customers get a lot of confidence fromknowing that the USAF has already done a lotof the groundwork needed to deploy an aircraftsafely, and of course interoperability with the USis absolutely a big deal. Plus it speaks well forthe aircraft itself because it has been selectedby the USAF.’

EUROPEAN CONNECTION

While the Airbus Military A400M continues tofind its feet, EADS’s interests in the Asia-Pacificmarket persist with legacy CASA CN235 fleets

and the newer C-295 medium-lift aircraft. TheCN235 is operated by Indonesia, Malaysia, theRoK and Thailand within Asia-Pacific, performingmissions including military force movement

‘Operators get a lot ofconfidence from knowing

that the USAF has already done a lot of

the groundwork.’

�


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AIRLIFT


and disaster relief operations. The C-295,designed to expand the medium tacticalcapabilities of the CN235, is able to land onshort, unimproved runways in adverse weatherconditions and is in service with the armedforces of more than ten countries worldwide.

According to sources close to theprogramme, the A400M has yet to be activelymarketed in Asia, as the first priority for AirbusMilitary at this point is existing Europeancustomers who are still waiting for delivery of their already overdue aircraft. That said,Malaysia has signed up for four aircraft, and themanufacturer believes that there is no closecompetitor to the type currently available.

In terms of capability, the A400M fills the gapbetween tactical transporters and strategicairlifters, and is designed to travel further andfaster than most in-service airlifters, as well ascarrying larger payloads. When the A400Mprogramme hits its stride, the aircraft could wellbe very attractive to customers within the regionwho are looking for a truly multi-role transportairlifter as current platforms reach the end of theirservice lives.

AIRLIFTER OF CHOICE

Boeing also believes that the long-terminternational market for its transport aircraft isvery positive. The C-17 Globemaster III hasbeen in operation since the 1990s and isparticularly well suited to delivering equipment,troops and supplies directly to small airfields inharsh terrain. The high-wing, four-engine, T-tailedaircraft can take off from a 2,300m airfield, carry a payload of 74,800kg, travel strategicdistances of up to 4,450km, refuel in flight and land on small, austere airfields with 900mlanding strips.

The C-17 has also been particularlysuccessful with the USAF, whose early adoptionof the aircraft has been a key driver of itsgrowing popularity among internationalcustomers. ‘Asia-Pacific represents over 50%of [our] international business, making this regionthe largest international defence market forBoeing,’ Joe Song, VP of international business

development – Asia-Pacific at Boeing Defense,Space & Security (BDS), explained.

‘We consider it to be a significant market forcurrent BDS platforms and future growth. Ourrelationship with the USAF is a big factor here, as our international customers look forinteroperability with USAF platforms andsystems, which is a key discriminator for our keycampaigns around the world – and this speaks to concepts of interoperability that extend beyond just the use of the sameequipment, but also factor in similar operatingconcepts, training and logistics support in theAsia-Pacific domain.’

In the current market, the C-17 is the onlystrategic transport currently in production, whichis a driving factor in it being the ‘airlifter of choice’,according to Tommy Dunehew, VP businessdevelopment at Boeing Mobility. Combiningboth strategic and tactical capabilities, the C-17is the ‘global airlift standard’ for long-range directdelivery of outsize cargo and passengers, andforms the backbone of international airliftmissions, supporting contingency, humanitarianrelief and peacekeeping efforts around the world.

Of over 200 units in service worldwide, fourare in the Asia-Pacific region, having beendelivered to the RAAF between 2006 and 2008as part of the replacement of its C-130H fleet.Japan and the RoK have both considered theaircraft recently, and in November it wasannounced that India had reached a preliminaryagreement with the US government for theacquisition of ten C-17s, with a final agreementanticipated this year.

As Dunehew sees it, potential airlift customersare looking for affordability, proven capability and viable total life-cycle costs within aneconomic environment that is increasinglychallenging. For nations looking to modernisetheir capabilities with an airlifter that offers both

strategic and tactical capabilities and maintainsa high mission readiness rate, the through-lifesupport options offered with prospective salesof the C-17 are making the type very attractiveto countries experiencing downward pressureon defence budgets.

‘The C-17 Globemaster III SustainmentPartnership [GSP] is a public/private agreementdesigned around the concept of performance-based logistics where the customer pays forreadiness, not specific parts or services,’ saidDunehew. ‘Under the agreement, Boeing isresponsible for all C-17 sustainment activities,including material management and depotmaintenance support. The partnershipcapitalises on Boeing’s expertise with air forcedepots to ensure readiness levels which meetcustomer needs.’

MARKET RESILIENCE

‘Through the GSP agreement, all C-17customers “buy into” a pool of unique spareparts and support. This “virtual fleet” concepteliminates the requirement for each customer topurchase and maintain individual inventories andsupport personnel, ultimately making the C-17more affordable to own and operate.’

As far as the future of the market isconcerned, airlift manufacturers are going to besubjected to the same challenges as theworldwide economy in general. But this segmentmay prove somewhat more resilient than othersin the defence industry because, as Lockheed’sGrant told MLI: ‘The value of airlift is increasing,not decreasing. If you look at the customers inthis region, they all – virtually every month – areflying somewhere in support of humanitarianoperations, taking care of people in their owncountries and looking after their neighbours. Andthat will continue, regardless of the requirementto move troops and equipment in support ofcombat operations.’ MLI

The C-27J is being widely marketed across Asia and has been touted as areplacement for the DHC-4 Caribou in Australia. (Photo: L-3 Communications)


PICKING UPTHE PIECES

(All photos: US DoD)


A reluctance to fly equipment ‘back home’, the use of pre-fabricated repair kits and greater contractor involvementare adding new dimensions to the task of fixing ISAF vehicles

damaged in combat in Afghanistan, finds Andrew White.

BATTLE DAMAGE REPAIR

W hether it is the correct strategy for operations in Afghanistan or

not, the widespread use of armoured vehiclesin-theatre has caused many a headache whenit comes to battle damage repair (BDR).Vehicles carrying reinforced ballistic protection,C4ISR and counter-IED technology are now soheavy and cumbersome that possibilities for rapid airlift following a ‘contact’ have been reduced.

Not so long ago, armoured vehicles wereshipped ‘home’ in order to carry out repairs. Butsuch are the demand and reliance placed onthese vehicles amidst the current tactics,techniques and procedures in south-west Asiathat it is no longer acceptable to have them‘unserviceable’ for even the smallest amount of time.

COMMON PROBLEMS

Unable to comment on mission specifics for‘operational security’ reasons, the US Army’sProgram Office for Tactical Vehicles informedMLI that the most frequent in-field repairs onoperations in Afghanistan normally comprise‘hydraulic and electrical trouble’, especially onolder vehicles.

It added that the proportion of vehicles sentback to the US was dependent on the ‘extentof damage’ and repeated the same answerwhen asked whether IED-hit vehicles could ever

be serviced in the field and returned to actionas soon as possible.

Elsewhere, the UK MoD’s Defence SupportGroup (DSG) has responded to similar issueswith the Equipment Sustainability Solution(ESS), which had a planned ‘in-service’ date ofApril 2010.

Located at Camp Bastion, the UK’s majorbase in Helmand Province providing support toa network of smaller forward operating bases(FOBs) and patrol bases (PBs) dotted in andaround the valley, ESS was designed to supportthe ‘enduring nature’ of NATO InternationalSecurity Assistance Force (ISAF) operations,according to DSG.

Capable of dealing with the recuperation,repair and modification of vehicles in theatre,DSG said it expected ESS to be a more‘efficient, cost-effective and operationally soundway of dealing with equipments’.

‘Much of this would otherwise have to beshipped out of theatre, perhaps to the UK,replaced or otherwise dealt with at greater costand over a longer period of time,’ according tothe DSG’s Maj Gen Ian Dale.

Describing ESS as a static facility inside asecure compound, he added: ‘It is thereforeamenable to being staffed and run by civiliancomponents. That could be a combination ofthe DSG expertise at various stages [and] itcould also be forward support representatives

from industry. So it could be a combination ofcontractors, DSG and REME [Royal Electricaland Mechanical Engineers] soldiers.’

Managed in conjunction with the UK’sPermanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), primecontractor KBR was unable to provide furtherinformation as MLI went to press, and the UK’sMoD was also unable to comment on ESS’scurrent operational state.

However, industry sources have told MLI thatESS is operational to some extent, although ithas yet to reach full operating capability. ‘Itappears it might be running slightly behindschedule,’ one said.

GETTING INVOLVED

One company hoping to get involved with ESSis Supacat, which provides UK forces operatingin Afghanistan with the Jackal and Coyote HighMobility Transporter (HMT) vehicles. ‘Supacatis not directly involved in ESS, but DSG staffare being trained by Supacat. We can offerOEM field service representatives [FSRs] fordeployment if required,’ according to thecompany’s commercial and customer supportmanager, John Treasure.

‘The MoD is beginning to realise that lack ofdirect OEM support is a major disadvantage,and the emphasis from HQ Land is on gettingmore involvement from the design authority,rather than relying on ad-hoc support from �

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various contractors who have limited knowledgeof the HMT,’ he told MLI.

Unable to comment on the number ofvehicles damaged during ISAF operations inAfghanistan, Treasure described the ‘mostfrequent problems’ associated with BDR as being a fundamental ‘lack of knowledge, lack of up-to-date publications and lack of OEM involvement’, rather than the testingenvironmental conditions.

‘Currently, several [vehicles] have been sent back [to the UK] but by its nature, the HMT tends to be damaged beyond repair with a direct hit [by an IED], as it has enougharmour to offer protection for the crew but is notan armoured taxi.

‘To get the right balance of protection, mobilityand firepower for a reconnaissance vehicle[means] it won’t then have the armour to protectthe vehicle, relying instead on terrain accessibilityto avoid IED-rich routes,’ he continued.

Treasure told MLI that ‘in-the-field’ BDR ispossible, but only in the exceptional circ-umstances of damage being ‘light’. Quite howthis is measured is not clear, but Treasuredescribed how a wheel station, for example,could be easily replaced in such a situation.

‘We understand it is the MoD’s ambition tohave OEM involvement for this support, even ifit is under a “big player” [eg, KBR or Babcock]umbrella. We can deliver an improved solutionand have made several suggestions to thevarious users,’ Treasure explained.

However, referring to the UK MoD, oneindustry source told MLI that there is ‘inevitablya funding issue [with] the individual procure-ment departments [keen] to be in control of the options.

‘[Companies] continue to press and the fieldarmy users are keen to be involved in usergroups, even if the fund holders are not. It isbecoming a support rather than a deliveryenvironment, and those larger organisations are now focussing attention on gathering asmuch [information] as possible. The MoD’sambition is to have OEM involvement, even if itis sub-contracted.’

Another solution has been Supacat’s ‘one-stop shop’ web-based initiative, designed to giveinternational customers the ability to compareand contrast capabilities, as well as viewing the latest equipment. Treasure told MLI thatcustomers had been ‘receptive’.

Having first gone live with a ‘dummy’ site in2010, the service was initially run in cooperationwith the Australian Department of Defence,which is understood to have procured around31 Surveillance and Reconnaissance Vehicles,MLI was informed.

TOTAL SOLUTION

Elsewhere, Oshkosh Defense’s VP and generalmanager of international programmes, SergeBuchakjian, explained to MLI how industry isproviding a total solution to coalition forces inAfghanistan and elsewhere, irrespective ofwhether a particular company has supplied itsown vehicle or not.

‘We also have been supporting theNetherlands with FSRs for more than two yearson equipment that was not manufactured byOshkosh,’ he noted.

Since its inception in 2007, critics of the US Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) programme have criticised its lack ofcommonality in design due to a multitude of manufacturers and platforms. This, they claim, has only added to the logistical burden in Afghanistan.

Currently, Oshkosh has some 280 FSRsoperating in Afghanistan, providing ‘sustainmentsupport’ to US forces. ‘This includes operatorand maintenance vehicle training, technicalassistance and other maintenance andsustainment support to help ensure vehicles are ready for any mission, at any time,’ Buchakjian continued.

For the M-ATV (MRAP All-Terrain Vehicle) inparticular, Oshkosh has over 240 FSRssupporting the programme in Afghanistan,

where ‘thousands’ of the vehicles are deployed.FSRs are also present to help with the Familyof Heavy Tactical Vehicles (FHTV), MediumTactical Vehicle Replacement (MTVR) andLogistics Vehicle System Replacement (LVSR)for the US Marine Corps. Oshkosh FSRs are also working on the integration of the TAK-4 independent suspension system ontolegacy MRAPs in order to ‘improve vehicle off-road mobility’.

EQUIPMENT PROVISION

‘We also work closely with the US military onthe Theater-Provided Equipment Refurbishment[TPER] programme [where] battle-damagedand heavily worn vehicles from the army’s heavyand line-haul fleets are brought to our Kuwaitfacility and refurbished. The vehicles are restoredin accordance with the military’s strict equipmentreadiness standards and then returned to thefield,’ he continued.

‘The TPER programme eliminates shippingand transportation costs, and reduces themaintenance cycle time to improve operationalavailability to military members. In all, this processremoves at least 60 days of vehicle transport toand from a US-based repair site.

‘We have refurbished more than 1,500 heavytrucks and approximately 450 line-haul trucks todate, and we continue to work closely with thearmy, Defense Logistics Agency and othermilitary departments on this importantprogramme,’ Buchakjian said.

‘Oshkosh Defense engineers, logisticians and technicians have worked together with the US forces to develop battle damageassessment and repair [BDAR] kits that helpexpedite the field-level repairs for our equipment.We also have developed de-processing kits fornewly fielded equipment and two levels ofrecommended spare parts for the appropriatesupply distribution points in Afghanistan,’ he told MLI.

Ever more powerful IEDs are immobilisingmilitary vehicles in Afghanistan, despitegrowing levels of protection.




www.mil-log.com

Current trends for vehicle repairs have swung away from‘shipping them home’ strategies to in-theatre options.

Additionally, Buchakjian explained howOshkosh is responsible for managing the TPER programme: ‘To keep the programmerunning successfully, we continue to focus on communicating extensively with our military partners and also managing a parts flow that can see anything from 300 to 1,000 replacement parts being used for a single vehicle.

‘We also have addressed in-theatre repairs at the design level for our vehicles. The FHTVthat we produce for the US Army is compliantwith the army’s Long-Term Armor Strategy[LTAS],’ he explained.

The LTAS means that vehicles are producedwith factory-installed armour and can also acceptadditional add-on armour in the field. Thismodular approach makes it easier to upgradeand repair a vehicle’s armour package in theatre,as opposed to returning the entire platform to arepair site in the US, Buchakjian urged.

Oshkosh’s A4 configuration of the HeavyExpanded Mobility Tactical Truck (HEMTT) was the first LTAS-compliant vehicle delivered

to the army, and he explained how the companyis also producing M-ATVs, MTVRs, LVSRs andFamily of Medium Tactical Vehicles with thissame ‘modular’ approach. ‘It delivers improvedprotection for military members, and reducesvehicle downtime for maintenance and repairs,’he added.

MULTI-NATIONAL PRESENCE

Force Protection, another company with a multi-national presence in Afghanistan, has just finished a ‘complete look’ at its BDRstrategy over the last year, according to DianaEchols and Larry Eberfeld, director operationsfor logistics and senior director for UKprogrammes, respectively.

‘We don’t send vehicles back to the UK orUS. Instead, blast kits tailored from pastinformation on vehicular damage can be turnedaround in a day’ at Force Protection sites inBagram, Camp Bastion, Kandahar and CampLeatherneck, they told MLI.

On top of this, Force Protection is alsocapable of sending its nine FSRs dedicated forUK armed forces duties out to FOBs, PBs and command posts to deal with damagedvehicles. Echols said there were additional FSRsallocated to US forces.

A number of ‘specific’ provinces in the vastexpanses of Afghanistan are seeing a ‘greaternumber’ of IED blasts, although the companydid not go into further detail. ‘Therefore, we arebuilding blast kits to tailor solutions such as theaxle repair capability for the USMC at [Camp]Leatherneck which has just stood up,’ Eberfeldtold MLI.

‘Most damage [to vehicles] is from IEDs and not terrain,’ according to Echols. ‘The main problems are axles and fenders. Thedesign of vehicles is survivable, and in nine out of ten IED blasts, we are able to repair it,’ she said, describing the Cougar vehicle’s V-shaped hull.

Unable to comment on specific numbers ofdamaged vehicles and citing operational securityreasons, Force Protection described how it hasestablished large warehouses of spare partswith ballistic protection specialist NP Aerospaceat Camp Bastion in order to supply blast kits forFOB-bound FSRs. ‘Spares do become anissue,’ admitted Eberfeld.

The company currently provides up to adozen different blast kits, and admits that it isalready looking at supplying additional variantsfor the UK’s forthcoming Light Protected PatrolVehicles (LPPVs), due to come into service nextyear. There can be up to 100 separate parts perkit, it emerged.

‘This allows an FSR to grab one quickly and get out to an FOB. They go where needed,but are not allowed to go outside the “wire”,although a lot would be prepared to,’ Echols conceded.

‘The LPPV will have the same approach, butit is a very different vehicle. Specific blast kitshave not been completed for this yet, due to itsdifferent axles, etc,’ she explained.

To conclude, it appears there is much workstill to be done before a ‘gold standard’ BDRstrategy has been achieved, and this may notcome to fruition before any pull-out fromAfghanistan. But with coalition forces keen onthe force projection provided by OEMs, theprocess is set to gather pace over the comingmonths. MLI

‘Most damage to vehicles is from

IEDs and not terrain.’


DATA ON DEMAND

I f all goes to plan, the new system willeventually provide ‘a common operating

picture for logistics for the entire DoD, witheveryone using the same data, not arguing witheach other about who has the correct data’,predicted Lt Col Walter Nichols, programmemanager for Integrated Data Environment/GlobalTransportation Network Convergence (IGC).‘There is no other programme in defence that isclose to what we are doing,’ added John Rusnakof Mitre, chief architect of IGC.

The old Global Transportation Network (GTN)was built by Lockheed Martin for USTransportation Command (USTRANSCOM) inthe early 1990s to track supplies, shipments andunit movements. ‘It tied together trucks, shipsand other modes. It was state of the art then,’Nichols explained. ‘But it was getting long in the tooth and the leadership asked for morecapabilities.’

MILLENNIUM SHIFT

Around the turn of the millennium,USTRANSCOM attempted an upgrade,dubbed GTN21, to meet its new needs. Theeffort was halted because it looked unlikely toachieve its goals. ‘We brought in a number ofcontractors to see how we could meet therequirements,’ Nichols noted. ‘They said if youwant to do all this, here is what you need.’

All the data on supplies, transport and unit movements needed to go into an enterprise data warehouse (EDW), whichUSTRANSCOM had acquired from Teradatafor GTN21. Reports and dashboards could bebuilt within this EDW, eliminating duplicatesoftware and licences for each user.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) in turnhad both supply expertise and a data broker, itsnew enterprise service bus (the ‘Integrated Data Environment’ part of IGC). ‘Why build

Henry Canaday looks at how the Defense Logistics Agency and US TransportationCommand are putting the finishing touches to a comprehensive system for trackinglogistics, which should replace the current Global Transportation Network.

‘Old systemsusually last forever,like self-licking icecream cones.’

that again?’ Nichols said. ‘Instead of users goingto source systems, they could go to DLA’sservice bus. It could replace an expensive hairball of separate lines to separate sources.’Indeed, the new system would tap 30unclassified and classified source systems withinthe DoD and 600 feeds from private carriers likeUPS and FedEx.

So USTRANSCOM and DLA teamed up.DLA took the lead because it had a good trackrecord of delivering IT systems. Work began inOctober 2007 in three spirals, to prove value toleadership and get feedback from customers.

VIRTUOUS SPIRALS

The first spiral was built a dashboard for the USArmy to monitor performance of commercialcarriers. ‘We looked at how many days it tookto ship stuff and what the carriers were reportingto the army. We found discrepancies, and onecarrier was dropped.’

A second spiral yielded a similar dashboardfor USAF Air Mobility Command to trackshipments of less than 150lb. The third spiralgave USTRANSCOM analysts a new way oflooking at how much each transport leg androute was used and what it cost. ‘They do deepdives into data, and they had only 90 days ofdata, but needed five years.’ The analysts at firstresisted converting to the new system due to itsunfamiliarity, but soon found it was ‘like a Ferraricompared with their old grandmother’s Ford’,Nichols joked.

The next step was an RfP for full converg-ence. The $89 million contract was won by Lockheed Martin as prime contractor inOctober 2008. The EDW would contain threelayers: raw data from sources and feeds;

28

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY


DLA riggers prepare to offload trailers from a flatbed railway truck. Tracking andcosting multimodal shipments will be easier with IGC. (Photos: US DoD)

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Lt Col Walter Nichols (left) says rapid development teams willbe able to customise the system to meet users’ specific needs.


INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

data grouped by type, for example ship move-ments; and the visualisation layer for reports and dashboards.

The Lockheed Martin team proceeded withits own three spirals. First, it brought inunclassified DoD data, then classified DoD dataand finally data from the 600 carrier feeds.

By early December 2010, the new systemwas still being tested rigorously by outside firms brought in by the contractor. There weretechnical tests for speed, and the team was still validating data with users. ‘We are doingsmall releases of different parts of the system –users must be absolutely confident of the data,’Nichols said.

He expected to finish testing in January andsubmit IGC for a full deployment decision reviewin February. If approved, that would mean ‘killing’the old GTN.

HIGH FUNCTIONALITY

‘The key for us is allowing DoD folk to haveadditional capabilities without having to buildthem,’ Nichols explained. Around 90% of IGC users will be in functional and regionalcommands outside of USTRANSCOM and the

DLA: ‘It is net-centric and they do not have toadd anything to their PCs.’

Therefore, instead of wasting time pullingtogether data from many sources, users can tap the EDW, which already contains all theinformation. ‘We can email it to them the nextmorning, and they can spend time on analysis,not data delay.’

If pre-set dashboards do not answer all theirquestions, users can make ad-hoc queries.Rapid development teams can help buildqueries, develop new dashboards for frequentlyasked questions or contract out development.

‘If we just replace GTN, we will be successful,’Nichols said. ‘But we hope over time it growsto meet all DoD requirements for logistics.’

Mitre’s Rusnak ran the team that recomm-ended shut-down of the $100 million GTN21effort in 2004. ‘GTN had customised codesnear the end of their life, not geared to the speed of current operations,’ he explained. ‘They needed the DLA’s enterprise service bus, and they needed an EDW and businessintelligence tools.’

Rusnak sought cutting-edge tools so userscould query both historical and real-time data,view reports and dashboards, and slice and dicethe data. ‘We knew from the beginning thiswould be used by all the DoD, and we plannedto make it reliable, accessible wherever you areand scalable. We did not want to build for 5,000current users. We wanted the ability to grow.’

IGC has had mobile training teams in the fieldfor months with the user community. ‘One keyto success is they need to learn it – it looks very different, modern,’ Rusnak said. Rapiddevelopment teams are another key aspect. ‘Ifa commander in the field says he is moving from

A to B and wants to track his shipments, theteam can have a dashboard for him in a coupleof hours.’

After years on the project, Rusnak is nowlooking forward to the final withdrawal of the oldGTN: ‘That never happens in government. Oldsystems usually last forever, like self-licking icecream cones.’

The new system began with version 5 of aTeradata EDW. Soon switched to version 6, itnow uses version 12 and will convert to version13 next year for added capabilities coveringgeographical location and temporal data. ‘Wewere chosen because we could grow as theprogramme grew. We knew they would addnew applications and requirements,’ said DennisDrayer of Teradata Government Systems.

LOGICAL MODEL

Transition from EDW versions usually takes onlytwo days and poses no challenges. But to fullyexploit its capabilities for speedy download,analysis and retrieval, data must be storedaccording to a logical data model (LDM). It tookabout four months to ensure that this LDM wascorrect when the new effort began.

Scale is not much of a challenge – IGC isone of Teradata’s largest projects in thegovernment sector, approaching 60 terabytesof data. But Teradata has nine private-sectorcustomers that store more than a petabyte each.‘We are approaching capacity in IGC’sunclassified data, but we can scale easily,’ Drayer said.

The keys to getting all this running fast andeconomically, according to Rusnak, are to ‘definethe architecture up front, do it in pieces and donot try to eat the elephant whole’. MLI

MLI_JanFeb11_p28-29_DLA_IT:MLI_JanFeb11_p28-29_DLA_IT 10/2/11 14:25 Page 29

H igh-velocity maintenance (HVM) has four basic tenets: 1) understanding the

condition of each aircraft prior to its arrival indepot; 2) having everything necessary to domaintenance – parts, tools and manpower –ready when the aircraft arrives; and 3) followinga standard sequence of work during depot visits;all of which should yield 4) a higher burn rateand better aircraft availability.

Burn rate here means the man-hours per day actually devoted to maintenance – in other words, more needed maintenance will get done each day, minimising downtime andincreasing availability.

These tenets must be applied differently toeach type of aircraft. Though the USAF hopesto eventually apply HVM across its entire fleet,the programme is starting with three types: theC-130 Hercules at Warner Robins AFB,Georgia, the B-1 Lancer at Tinker AFB,Oklahoma, and the F-22 Raptor at Hill AFB,Utah. The programme is furthest along on the C-130.

BREAKING WITH TRADITION

Traditional scheduled programme depotmaintenance (PDM) on C-130s was done onceevery six years, while isochronal inspections toassess conditions and identify future work weredone in the field every 450 days.

Under HVM, PDM is broken up into four visitsat 18-month intervals. One visit concentrates onthe fuselage, another on wings, another on thetail section and the last on flight controls. These

may be done in any order, according to thespecific needs of each aircraft, explains air forceproduct manager Doug Keene. During each visit,the depot will do isochronal inspections of othersections of the aeroplane.

Warner Robins is now validating the HVMapproach, and the fifth C-130 in the programmefinished its 18-month visit at the end ofNovember. The depot plans to do nine validationvisits in all. ‘We are more than halfway throughand close to the original schedule,’ Keene said.‘The big work is up front before they come in.’

The first HVM tenet, understanding theaircraft, has generally been met – there were noreal surprises on the first four visits. ‘But on thefifth we did a much bigger package, practicallya full PDM,’ Keene noted. ‘There were still notenormous surprises, but there was corrosion for

‘There wascorrosion for whichwe had indications,but we did notpredict all of it.’

which we had indications, although we did notpredict all of it.’

Preparation of parts and tools has been solidthroughout validation, and the depot is gettingbetter at the third tenet, task planning and rapidadjustment for changes. ‘On the first two visitswe had to stop if we got out of sequence,’Keene said. ‘We brought in four industrialengineers to prepare the work packages, andwe can now adjust much faster.’

BURNING BRIGHTER

Burn rate, originally 125-145 hours a day oftouch labour, has been increased to more than300. The depot is aiming for 500, which shouldcut downtime by more than half.

Warner Robins now plans to shift toproduction HVM within about a year, although

30

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE


The F-22 is being used as another pioneer platform for HVM, but themodernity of the aircraft means that the tenets are applied in a different way.

FASTER AND FASTER

Henry Canaday looks at how the USAF is moving towards high-velocity maintenance, modelled on commercial practices, tomaximise efficiency and minimise the downtime of expensive assets.

MLI_JanFeb11_p30-31_HVM:MLI_JanFeb11_p30-31_HVM 10/2/11 17:01 Page 30


the first such visits will overlap with somecontinuing validation checks. New fleetscheduling software has been selected andshould be running in nine months. Keene saidhe still needed a fleet management applicationand a decision on where the data will reside.

Warner Robins has been validating HVM onlegacy C-130s, mostly H models, and will do itsfirst HVM on the newer J in April. ‘They had touse worst-case assumptions for the older fleet,but they can tailor inspections for Js based on itsstructural health monitoring system,’ emphasisedTom Wetherall, deputy VP, business develop-ment, for global sustainment at Lockheed Martin.

The plan is to apply HVM to all air force C-130s, and the approach may spread further.‘This could definitely apply to non-US C-130s,’Wetherall said. ‘We discuss this sort of thing atour operators’ conference in Marietta [Georgia]every October.’ He noted that Saudi Arabiaoperates 50 C-130s and HVM can be tailoredto very small fleets as well.

GETTING THE DATA

PDM has been done on the B-1 every five years,and Tinker is now considering intervals of 15,30 or the traditional 60 months. ‘We need thedata to support that decision,’ said air force HVMteam leader Steve Walker. ‘We are prototypingnow to generate the data.’

In November, Tinker did its second prototypeHVM visit. ‘We are bringing in newly re-engineered processes for certain maintenancetasks,’ Walker said. Tinker re-engineered two

tasks on the first prototype, two more on thesecond and will do another on the third. ‘Wewant to crawl before we walk, and walk beforewe run.’

The aim is a mechanic-centric focus, with kitsof parts, tools and technical documents ready:‘We want the mechanic to be like a surgeonwith an optimal sequence and a checklist tofollow.’ This thorough preparation involves theentire B-1 supplier community, as well as USAFengineers and mechanics.

‘We will not make the decision to go to HVMuntil we know it will work, but we are alreadydoing HVM on certain tasks,’ Walker said. Heexpects to complete prototype visits bySeptember 2011. Tinker may not have done allmaintenance tasks the HVM way by then, ‘butwe will have done enough to know at that point’.The next step would be choosing the intervaland scheduling a roll-out.

Tinker’s major challenges have been triallingHVM while fulfilling its routine responsibilitiesand understanding aircraft condition prior toinduction. It is working with two contractors onthe latter challenge.

NEW GENERATION

Hill chose to start HVM on the F-22, rather thanF-16s or A-10s – the process will take adifferent form on this new aircraft type comparedto the older C-130s and B-1s. Many HVMconcepts and tenets were already built into theF-22 programme from the start, noted Lt ColEric North, manager of F-22 systems support.

‘We are looking at HVM tenets and willimplement as many as we can,’ he said. ‘We willtry to glean areas for improvement of ourprocesses.’ North’s team is thus concentratingon understanding the aircraft, standardising workand upping the burn rate of touch labour.

F-22s arrive at Hill for different sets ofmodifications, depending on when they cameoff the production line, and that has meantdifferent spans in depot – 45, 60 or 90 days.Usually about 12 mechanics work on a jet atone time.

‘We are now looking to combine moremodifications that have been done in the fieldinto a set that might take up to 125 days,’ Northsaid. A new set of new modifications due on theaircraft in 2011 will require 95-125 days in anycase. ‘Then we would use HVM to shorten thatif we can.’

What counts in availability is total downtime,in both field and depot. ‘And once you open apanel, you can get more done,’ North noted.There are now three levels of time compliancetechnical orders (TCTOs) issued for the F-22:urgent, immediate and routine. He is consideringbringing routine TCTOs on the type back todepot from the field. ‘This could reduce totaldowntime more than HVM.’

But the new approach will still be pressed.‘As we get more proficient with the aircraft andstandard things that are done every day, weshould be able to increase the amount of workwe do while it is here and be able to deliver itback to the user earlier.’ MLI

HVM processes have been introduced on early C-130Hs, but the concept is now being applied to modern J-model aircraft. (Photos: USAF)

AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE

MLI_JanFeb11_p30-31_HVM:MLI_JanFeb11_p30-31_HVM 10/2/11 17:01 Page 31

P er Ludvigsen is straightforward when itcomes to what challenges face him in

his job of overseeing all aspects of logistics andsupport for the Danish armed forces.

‘Look at the NATO Strategic Concept andyou’ll see that it talks about delivering logistics,possibly very far from home. We won’t knowwhere or when until it happens, and budgetswill be down. So, for sure, we will have to find smart solutions. And I have to rememberthat you cannot separate acquisition andlogistics – it’s one piece. If you try to separateit, you’ve made your first mistake.’

The issue of the maintenance and operationalsupport of the armed forces also requiresintense study, but Ludvigsen sees some simplepaths to follow.

‘We need to standardise more. We need to move away from complicated technicalrequirements. We need to grab the technicalpeople and get them to cut down the require-ments as quickly as possible. We’d rather gofor a 65% solution than a 95% one. It’s no useif I can only afford three tanks when I actuallyneed 200.

‘80% of a system’s cost is incurred in theafter-sales period,’ he continued. ‘As an example,the cost of an artillery regiment where the gunsare manned by eight rather than four peopleover a 30-year life cycle is around £140 millionhigher, and that’s just salary costs. You need tolook at these issues to see the real costs.

Continuing on the theme of the true costs ofacquisition and support, he said: ‘And take theJavelin anti-tank missile. Very good, high-tech,

but it costs what? £100,000 per round? But what’s the cost of a GPS seeker head for a 155mm shell? Perhaps £10,000. I haveammunition bunkers with a lot of old 155mmshells. I think I’ll buy new GPS seeker heads forthese shells, rather than Javelins.’

AFGHAN CALCULATIONS

Like many of his European counterparts,support for operations in Afghanistan is at thefront of his mind, and never out of the in-tray.Ludvigsen highlighted to MLI some of theissues that have been testing him much of late.

‘In the Danish Battle Group in Afghanistan,we have maybe ten types of armoured vehicles.That means ten sets of training for differentmaintainers, ten sets of operator training, andwe have to fill our aircraft with ten times thespare parts to keep these fleets going. Couldwe cut those ten vehicles to three? If we did,we would have made a major shift towardssolving our air transport problem. Look acrossthe forces in Afghanistan and you’ll see dozensof different vehicle types, maybe more. So that’swhy we waste so much money…’

The operational support piece for Afghanoperations doesn’t stop there.

‘We operate as part of the UK commandstructure in Helmand, and do you know howmany major equipment types we have incommon with them? None. We have differentradios, different rifles, uniforms – I could go on.About the one thing we share is that we havesimilar bodies, so that we can share medicalfacilities and, mainly, food.

VALUE FORMONEY

‘You cannotseparate acquisitionand logistics – it’s one piece.’

‘We have some smart kit in Afghanistan, butthat means it is likely to break down more often,’he continued. ‘Which means you’ll need to flyout spare parts, mechanics and other things –this is all a burden.’

Denmark is no different from other countrieswhen it comes to the issue of contractors onoperations and elsewhere in the support chain.

‘In principle, we are positive about the use ofcontractors,’ Ludvigsen said. ‘But it has to beworthwhile, not done for the sake of it, and ithas to be proven to provide best value formoney. One reason that we contract outsupport systems is so that we can generatemore combat power for operations, but this isstill not that well known. We need to developawareness about this.

‘It is a necessity for Denmark to look at thisarea bilaterally and multi-nationally,’ heconcluded. ‘We cannot continue to contract forcapabilities on our own. In Afghanistan, we workwith the UK and the Netherlands, and it workswell. With the UK, we have contracted throughthe MoD for camp facilities and services – theyset it up for us, and then bill us. There are somegood examples, but this area can really be improved.’ MLI

32

DEPTH FORWARD


MLI talks to the Commanding General of the Danish DefenceAcquisition and Logistics Organization, Lt Gen Per Ludvigsen,about the links between acquisition and support.

MLI_JanFeb11_p32_Depth_Forward:MLI_NovDec10_p32_Depth_Forward 10/2/11 14:26 Page 32

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