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| Press Release Number: ELK200304101 | 10-Apr-03 |
The mobi-mat: Special delivery to deployed Marines |
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by Kathleen Bozan The Expeditionary Airfield (EAF) Team at NAVAIR Lakehurst directly supports deployed Marines as part of both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom with a new airfield surfacing system for rotary wing aircraft known to its developers as the mobi-mat. The system, which takes 14-foot wide by 20 foot long roles of polyester matting and turns them into a portable landing pad suitable for landing helicopters on adverse terrain, was the result of a four-year long effort to procure, configure and test the effectiveness of a lightweight airfield matting that was not only easily installed but easily transported. "Our airfields follow the Marines," said Mike Jiavaras, EAF team lead. "They have to be portable." Jiavaras reported lessons learned from the Bosnian conflict revealed AM2 matting to be too heavy for use in the theater -- particularly when the terrain there is rocky or sandy, both contributors to treacherous brownout conditions. "We needed to go out and find a lightweight airfield just for rotary wing aircraft. Otherwise, they FODout (i.e., draw up foreign objects and debris, or FOD) all over the place." That, he said, causes loss of aircraft and potentially loss of life. Once the EAF team had researched the materials to use for the mat, it needed to solicit Congress for special funding in order to purchase them from a European manufacturer. An American company then made modifications to the product, and the team went forward. "Once we got the money, we got the stuff and we immediately started testing," said Jiavaras. "We were progressing slowly. After 9/11, however, we had to accelerate." Eventually, the mobi-mat was good to go . except, however, for its packaging. Shipped in heavy wooden crates, the airfield was not fully usable for the Marines who needed to unpack, repack and transport them repeatedly. "It was essential the package be reusable," emphasized Jiararas. "Plus it had to house the rolls of matting and all essential tools and accessories in one very sturdy, user-friendly box." Jiavaras did not have to look very far to find the craftsmen he needed to create such a package. He turned to the Packing & Crating and Shipping sections of the NAVAIR Lakehurst Supply Division, located on base. Ricky Barker, material management supervisor, created a prototype of a crate suitable for the job. Fourteen feet long, five feet wide, and four-and-a-half feet high, the crate had a false bottom to store sledgehammers, jacks and stakes for the installation and removal of the mat. The rolls of fiberglass matting, as well as slings to help lift them, were stored above. Fully packed, the box weighed 2,900 pounds. The prototype quickly turned into the first of 18 packages which had to be built, painted, stenciled, filled with all the necessary materials, and shipped . all of which had to be completed ASAP for immediate shipment to Kuwait City. That kept a crew of woodworkers, forklift operators, painters, a traffic manager and a freight rate specialist hopping. "We practically worked around the clock," said Barker. We were working so fast the paint shop couldn't keep up with us." Barker reported the initial endeavor took two-and-a-half weeks start to finish -- well ahead of deadline. "We've got a great crew here, he said. "Once they're on a roll, you can't stop 'em." Which is just as well, since Barker and company have been moving more mission-critical equipment than ever before. "We ship to aircraft carriers, site stand-ups, Marine Corps air wings, naval bases -- there isn't a whole lot we don't do." The EAF Team and the Marine Corps were grateful for the effort extended on their behalf. "As this product was being packaged, we were shipping it directly in country," emphasized Jiavaras. "It was as real-time as it gets." "We had a real nice operation going comprised of a variety of dedicated people," he added. "As I told them, they were not just working overtime; they were saving lives." Over the next year, 100 additional mobi-mat systems will be crated and shipped in support of current U.S. military operations. Photographs: Cpl. Alvin Hicks, Marine Support Squadron 373's bulk fuels section , refuels an AH-1W Cobra from 3rd marine Aircraft Wing in a forward aircraft refueling point based in Iraq. Underneath the helo is the expeditionary airfield light-duty mat system (EALMS) also known as mobi-mat. Made of polyester, the mobi-mat weighs 1/10th the weight of traditional aluminum AM2 matting. Personnel from the NAV AIR Lakehurst Supply Division crate the complete mobi-mat system before shipping the new product to deployed Marines. |
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