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Further Reading

Low Cost Container [LCC]

The Low Cost Container, or LCC, is the first of three components developed as part of the Low Cost Aerial Delivery System to be available to the field. The Low Cost Container is roughly 60% cheaper than the current A-22 container, costing the user about $200, rather than $480 for the standard A-22. The cost savings is due to the use of light polypropylene webbing rather than the nylon webbing used for the A-22, and a simplified design that uses less material. Hardware has been reduced to a minimum, with only 2 friction adaptors and 4 D-rings. The container is so easy to rig that no training is needed for troops used to the more complicated A-22. The need for low cost aerial delivery components for use in humanitarian and re-supply missions was identified years ago, during the Operation Provide Promise airdrops in Bosnia. Over $31 million of standard airdrop equipment was used and never recovered. As a result, stocks of Container Delivery System (CDS) components were greatly depleted. In response to the crisis, a few members of the Aerial Delivery Directorate at the U.S. Army RD&E Center, Natick, MA came up with the idea of a light, easy-to-rig container, suitable for onetime use applications, that could be used for both high and low velocity CDS airdrop. It would be an inexpensive alternative to the A- 22 cargo container, which uses metal hardware and multiple straps of nylon webbing to contain a CDS load, and can be repaired and re-used as many as 30 times. The Natick team decided to minimize the cost to the user by reducing both unit price and rigging time. Cheaper fabrics and a simpler design were used to fabricate a container that did not have the durability of the A-22, but promised to be a perfect one-time use alternative. Preliminary testing of the low-cost cargo bag showed excellent results. However, once Operation Provide Promise ended, the changes were shelved. In October 2001, Operation Enduring Freedom started in Afghanistan, and again there was an increase in demand for CDS to supply Special Forces and Ranger units and provide humanitarian relief. Again the equipment was non-recoverable, resulting in expensive losses that greatly depleted Army War Reserves. In April 2002, the Low Cost Aerial Delivery System (LCADS) program started, with the task of developing a suite of inexpensive airdrop components to be used as one-time use replacements for CDS components. At long last, the LCC had its chance to excel. Over 300 LCCs were tested, containing loads weighing between 500 to 2,200-lbs, both in Low Velocity environments (500 to1,200-ft AGL) with the standard G-12 chute, and High Velocity (15,000 to 25,000-ft AGL) environments with the standard 26-ft ringslot chute. The container performed without a single failure.

A 13 January 2005 Sources Sought notice was posted to identify domestic products, suppliers, manufacturers, and technical information to develop a low-cost airdrop system. The most promising idea came from a company describing their concept for an airdrop container. It had been validated through half-scale and full-scale prototypes but at limited weights, speeds, and altitudes. As the Natick low-cost container was further along in the development process than industry's concept, the in-house approach to the LCADS container solution began.

A sole source contract to fabricate test quantities of the LCC built to Natick's drawing package was issued to a small local business that had done work for Natick in the past. Within a few weeks, the first LCCs were being delivered to Yuma Proving Ground, Ariz., and design validation testing began. After a few minor modifications, the program entered developmental testing to determine the reliability of the system. Once completed, operational testing began, with operational users from Fort Bragg, NC, rigging the CDS loads. Over 300 LCCs were tested containing loads weighing between 500 and 2,200 pounds. Loads were released singly at the start of testing and then ramped up to full plane loads released in a single pass: 16 bundles from C-130 aircraft and 40 bundles from C-17 aircraft. Drops were conducted in both low-velocity environments with the standard G-12 chute and high-velocity environments with the standard 26-ft ringslot chute. The LCC performed without a single mission failure, resulting in a reliability of 0.9945.

At about $150, the LCC is roughly 60 percent less expensive than the current A-22 container, which the Army buys for about $350. The cost saving results from use of light polypropylene webbing rather than nylon webbing, and a simplified design that uses less material. Hardware has been reduced to a minimum, with only two friction adaptors and four D-rings. The container is so easy to rig that no training for soldiers is required.