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CHAPTER 9

SUSTAINING COMBAT POWER IN THE DESERT

by CPT James J. Cutting

Introduction

Combat power -- this term means different things to different people. To the aviation maintenance professional, it translates into mission-capable aircraft. Simply put, the commander cannot conduct the mission without the aircraft. Aviation maintenance managers must ensure that this most critical facet of combat operations does not impede the unit from achieving success.

Maintenance operations in any field environment are challenging. A high operations tempo means that the unit needs more aircraft to fly more missions for longer periods of time. This tends to drain available assets in the form of people, parts, tools, and time. Also, tactical considerations may take maintainers away from their primary MOS duties to perform other critical functions of field operations such as preparing defensive positions. Desert conditions, with its heat and sand, only serve to compound the challenge presented to maintenance managers to keep the commander in business.

The desert sun will tax aircraft maintainers to their limits. If the majority of aircraft missions are flown at night, then mechanics must perform the majority of maintenance during the heat of the day. A maintenance manager must anticipate mission requirements and balance them against both the long- and short-term capabilities of the troops. Not only will increased mission load add to the list of maintenance requirements, but heat will also increase the time to complete a given procedure. Sand erodes rotor and turbine blades and bearings, causes electrical circuits to fail, and often forces pilots to land with a greater rate of descent than normal, increasing wear and tear on aircraft landing gear. Extreme desert heat will melt rubber erosion guards and severely limit the effectiveness of maintenance personnel. So how does the maintenance manager deal with these challenges? We will examine this topic through the three phases of any operation: planning, preparation, and execution.

Planning Phase

This phase begins at Home Station. The AVUM commander from the unit comprising the TF headquarters will normally be the singular point of contact for organizing the maintenance assets, and is the one person responsible for the planning, preparation, and execution of the maintenance mission. The AVUM commander must consider how to organize and coordinate the people, parts, tools, and time needed in the field during the predeployment phase of the operation. He needs to ask the following questions: (1) How many people will we need? (2) How will AVUM assets be task organized from outside our organic unit? (3) How will parts be requisitioned and transported to our location? (4) What special tools will we need? (5) Will the desert environment place more demands on specific areas? (6) How long is the operation anticipated to last? (7) How long will we be without support? Answer these questions and ensure that coordination is complete. Failure to do so will result in duplication of effort, confusion of priorities, and worse, lack of capability to efficiently conduct the maintenance mission.

Are soldiers trained? The tendency for most units is to concentrate almost exclusively on MOS skills at Home Station. These skills are obviously very important, but a commander cannot afford to ignore individual soldier skills once the unit is in the field. During the busiest flying schedule that the unit will experience, the result may be a delay of real-world maintenance to perform individual soldier training. Ensure that troops know how to dig fighting positions and erect camouflage nets. During an actual or simulated aircraft recovery is not the time to start familiarizing the DART on the use of the recovery kit. At Home Station, a little effort toward training individual soldier skills will pay big dividends in the field.

For what parts can an AVUM commander anticipate a requirement? If the PLL/ASL is strongly demand supported, then the commander may have an answer, but the environment to which the unit is deploying will require the commander to tailor his package. The desert will require that some components are changed at shorter intervals. Anticipate replacing rotor blades and tip caps, sensitive electronic components, landing gear, windshields (especially for UH-60s), filters, and possibly engines. Units should bring as many of these items, as well as associated hardware, as they can carry. If the unit cannot carry all the items, the support unit can bring them to the field and they will be readily available.

It is inevitable that a part will be needed that is not on hand. A question for commanders: How comfortable are you that your support unit will pass the requisition and deliver the item without delay? A liaison will be invaluable for this purpose. Use liaisons with all units that are directly supporting you and give them clear priorities. Set them up with vehicles and communications and you will never wonder whether or not a part is lost in the system.

The planning phase does not end when a unit leaves Home Station. At the receipt of each individual mission, the commander must analyze it and establish priorities for the aircraft maintainers. He must consider the following questions in order to meet the mission: How many aircraft are required? Is a maintenance support (contact) team necessary? Do aircraft need armament changes?

Preparation Phase

The maintenance manager's mission is to provide the commander with the maximum number of mission- capable aircraft when the commander needs them while managing limited resources. The key to success is preventative maintenance, which will not only prolong the life of aircraft components, but will also lead to early detection of faults.

Good preventative maintenance begins with the pilots. Accurate logbook entries and a thorough and comprehensive post-flight inspection are the first steps in setting daily maintenance priorities. If this information is incomplete or false, then maintenance managers will be operating in a vacuum. The crew chiefs are the next line of defense. Because pilots may land during hours of darkness and may be in a hurry to debrief their mission, the crew chiefs must do an additional aircraft inspection. Most aircraft maintenance manuals do not require this "daily," but performing them will pay big dividends by detecting and correcting faults before the aircraft are needed for the next mission.

Concentrate not only on grounding conditions, but on potential problems. Maintainers should inspect all rotating parts for erosion and clean particle separators to allow a clean flow of air. Clean everything! All bearing surfaces and electrical connectors should be free of sand and dust. (A small electrical vacuum with a portable generator is effective for this task.) Note any potential problems so that action can be taken.

Rotor blades will show erosion over time. If preventative action is not taken, then the component will require replacement before long. One method of preventative maintenance, blade taping, requires extensive time to apply and to track and balance the rotors. Painting the blades requires extensive repetition, and its effectiveness is not long lasting in a sandy environment. Once damage is evident, repairing the damage with adhesive may be a feasible solution. In some instances, it may be necessary to use adhesive as a sacrificial layer before the damage is done. If the maintenance manual for the aircraft does not allow repairs of this type, coordinate with the AMCOM LAR to attempt a nonstandard repair. "Scarf joints" on OH-58D main and tail rotor blades are very susceptible to erosion, and the use of adhesive filler will greatly prolong the life of these blades.

Also during this phase conduct rehearsals. A thorough rehearsal will bring together all working parts of the plan and help to identify any shortcomings. This is extremely important to accomplish before a CSAR/DART mission. It is best to perform this vital action with all personnel involved, to include aircrews and TOC personnel. Load the actual team members and their equipment on the actual aircraft they will use. Does it fit? Will it fit if this same aircraft is used to extract wounded? Conduct several different scenarios (contingencies) to ensure all team members understand how to react. A thorough rehearsal will greatly increase chances for success.

Execution Phase

Now comes the important part. If planning and preparation were done properly, then the execution should fall neatly into place. However, the maintenance manager must remain flexible and retain the ability to react to unforeseen problems. Is there a maintenance support team on-site supporting the launch of the aircraft? All too often, it is just the crew chief. If an aircraft has a maintenance problem on the ground, how does the pilot communicate that to the maintainers? An avionics repairer examines the aircraft, and his troubleshooting determines that a part needs replacement - is it on hand, and if so, who has the keys to the connex? SOPs should address these items, and soldiers must follow them.

When all of the aircraft do get off the ground, what is the plan if one gets shot down? Who triggers the action? The answers should be readily apparent at this stage, because during planning and preparation this scenario should have been addressed. In any case, tie the rescue of the downed aircrew with the recovery of the downed aircraft.

Following is an example of a CSAR/DART execution. The TF S-3 determines that it is tactically feasible for a rescue and triggers the CSAR. The CSAR should have a security force, medics, and an aircraft assessor. While the medics are tending to any injured crew members, the assessor is noting any damage to the aircraft and is classifying that damage into one of three recovery categories: on-site repair followed by a one-time-flight, recovery by aerial slingload or ground vehicle, or a catastrophic loss. This information is passed to the TF via radio while the rescue aircraft transits injured aircrew members to the appropriate medical facility. The DART takes this information and gathers all necessary materials and personnel to execute aircraft recovery. Once recovered to a secure area (i.e., the aviation assembly area), the unit may use BDAR techniques to return the aircraft back to the commander as combat power.

In a real combat scenario, it is logical to anticipate that the majority of aircraft recoveries will occur via aerial slingload because something shot the aircraft out of the sky and it then impacted the ground. In general, aerial slingload is faster than any other method of recovery and, if executed properly, affords a minimum amount of risk of further damage to the aircraft. Accordingly, it is of vital importance that units train their recovery crews on the use of the recovery kit in all conditions.

Conclusion

The role of the maintenance professional is critical in all combat aviation operations. A unit that is struggling with its aircraft availability cannot train or be effective on the battlefield. The success or failure of a unit begins and ends with the quantity and quality of the aircraft it takes forward. In the sand and heat of the desert, the job becomes harder, but the objective remains the same: build and sustain combat power for the commander.

"Life be hard in the desert." This statement is especially true for aviation maintenance personnel, but leaders who take the time to carefully plan, thoroughly prepare, and aggressively execute their critical role in the operation will undoubtedly be successful.

Tactics, Techniques and Procedures

1. Individual Soldier Skills. Are the unit and the soldiers prepared to execute all tasks? Can forecast maintenance requirements be met and still support guard duty/QRF/AA occupation?

2. Tailor your Support Package. Plan in detail to reduce friction once deployed. Know the who, what, when, where, why, and how of the initial package and required maintenance support in the field.

3. LNOS to Support Units. If possible, send an LNO to all levels of support, or ensure they have the proper information and equipment to complete the task.

4. Preventative Maintenance. Aggressively conduct post-flight inspections and screen logbooks immediately after missions. Inspect, clean, and protect critical components frequently.

5. Proactive Mission Support. Have personnel on-hand during mission launch.

6. Plan for Contingencies. Has everything been done (plan and rehearse the "5 Ws") to conduct CSAR/DART/BDAR?