Military Logistics Vol9 #4

8/10/2019 Military Logistics Vol9 #4

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Process analysisSupporting a complex new platform

THE LONGHAULUS truck development

STRIKEHOMEAustralian JSF logistics

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STORAGEWARSPallet and case technology

Volume 9 Number 4Winter 2014


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4 NEWS

5 THE LONG HAUL US wheeled support vehicle procurement and

modernisation programmes are currently thin on theground. Simon Miller examines why.

8 LOCATION FINDING Breaking tradition has proven necessary to handle

maintenance of the Joint Strike Fighter, nds Tim Fish.

3Volume 9 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL

EDITORIAL COMMENT AND CONTENTS

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Front cover: Supporting the F-35 hasrequired a rethink of some long-establishedpractices. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

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12 STORAGE WARS For efficient transportation of military equipment,

pallets and cases must be both rugged and easy touse. Mike Bryant canvasses the market.

15 DEPTH FORWARD With preparations for introduction of the F-35 under

way, Tim Fish talks to the RAAFs AVM Chris Deeble,programme manager for the JSF Division in Australia,about the required infrastructure developments.

There has been a lot of focus on logistics in thepast month, with military transport aircraft fromthe West first flying in humanitarian aid to the Kurdsin northern Iraq and more recently undertaking thedelivery of arms to Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

However, while the West and other relatively cash-rich countries are able to afford expensive, high-endmilitary equipment, what options do other countrieshave if they want to expand or modernise their airtransport capabilities?

Quick to jump on a market opportunity to providean affordable tactical transport solution, industryoffered two alternative proposals at the AADexhibition in Pretoria, South Africa, in September.

Lockheed Martins idea is to provide a high-end,modern tactical transporter that is multipurpose.

According to Dennys Plessas, VP of businessdevelopment at Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, missionsas diverse as airlift, airdrop, paradrop, air-to-air refuelling,maritime patrol/surveillance, medevac, weatherreconnaissance, fire-fighting, EW, ISR, humanitarianmissions, commercial freight movements and VIPtransport, can all be met with one aircraft.

ONE SIZE FITS ALL?Lockheeds argument is that one aircraft with one

set of spares, pilot training and aircraft operations willlead to significant savings compared with operating arange of types. Although dedicated machines forsome of these roles would offer better capability, ifbudgets are tight this seems like a good solution.

Meanwhile, Boeing suggested that you can stillbuy dedicated aircraft for some specific roles,but when it comes to more general transport andairlifting tasks, its C-40A Combi is better placed.

Based on the 737-700, the Combi is a commercialaircraft and so is more cost-effective to support andoperate. The aircraft can move supplies andpassengers farther and faster than a militaryturboprop such as the C-130J-30.

According to Boeing, it would provide the bestcapabilities for military-specific roles, while leavingthe more common non-warfighting tasks to cheapercommercial aircraft, saving money across the fleet.

Both are good options, and it will be interesting tosee which air forces will prefer, or if another solutionwill come up.Tim Fish, Editor

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NEWS

MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL | Winter 2014 | Volume 9 Number 4

The Royal Australian Air Forces (RAAFs) AirMobility Group will be strengthened by theaddition of two more A330 (locally designatedKC-30A) Multi Role Tanker Transports (MRTTs),with the service also receiving a further one ortwo C-17 aircraft.

One of the KC-30As will be converted to VIPconfiguration to support the Australian primeministers international travel needs.

Defence Minister David Johnston announcedthe plans on 14 August during his visit to theinternational air warfare exercise Pitch Black 14 ,held in Australias Northern Territory.

This latest move is another step to enhancethe countrys ability to contribute to security and

stability in the Indo-Pacific region one of theADFs principal tasks as stipulated by the 2013Defence White Paper.

The RAAF currently operates five KC-30s,using them as a key enabler for its air combatfleet, extending strike range and combat airpatrol endurance to control Australias airapproaches and supporting operations in land,sea and air environments.

Further enhancing the RAAFs ability to projectair power, the KC-30s tanking and cargo-liftcapacity can also be used to facilitate the rapiddeployment of a fighter squadron to an FOB.

This capability was demonstrated duringdeployments to Northern Territory air bases at

Darwin and Tindal as well as recent movementsof RAAF F/A-18 Hornet fighter aircraft across thePacific to the continental US and Guam.

Since mid-2013, Australias new tanker/transport has also been used on a number ofoccasions during state visits overseas, as theservices two Boeing 737 BBJ VIP transports lackthe capacity to carry both the prime minister andhis entourage.

Providing long-range heavy airlift, the RAAFssix C-17A transport aircraft have proven tobe instrumental in supporting operations inthe Middle East, while also being used forhumanitarian assistance and disaster relief.By Pieter Bastiaans, Breda

R20 tyres, allowing it to traverse rugged terrainunder any conditions.

This includes tailoring of the design of thechassis, cab structure and axle to enable thevehicle to remain in service while continuing tooperate in harsh conditions with high payloads. The concept is to have an affordable utility

DCD Protected Mobility launched its new 4x4multirole utility truck, Oribi, amid much fanfare atthe AAD exhibition in Pretoria, South Africa, on18 September.

With a focus on manoeuvrability and mobility,the company has designed the vehicle to have asmall footprint but with large off-road 275/80

platform that can provide support to frontlinevehicles.

Oribi is 5.2m long, 2m wide and 2.5m high,and with a kerb weight of 2,700kg it can take apayload of 3,300kg. It has an Iveco engineproviding 200hp though a six-speed automaticAllison transmission, giving a maximum speedof 100km/h and a range of more than 600km.

The version on display was for trooptransport and had six seats in the rear facingoutwards. Other variants available include pilotrescue, reconnaissance, C2, cargo carrier, fueltransporter and ambulance. An armouredversion is also an option.

The company notes that there are three cabconfigurations: a three-seat version; a six-seatdouble cab; and a two-seat variant with anopen top and roll bars.

DCD developed the vehicle under a jointventure agreement with Histomart signedin 2013, with the chassis from Bremach inItaly which has been adapted by DCD inSouth Africa.By Tim Fish, Pretoria

AUSTRALIA ADDS SUPPORT AIRCRAFT

DCD PROTECTED MOBILITY UNVEILS ORIBI TRUCK

Photo: author


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US FOCUS

5Volume 9 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONALwww. mil-log .com

N ew systems acquisitions in the US tacticalwheeled vehicle (TWV) market are fallingcompared to previous years, and the focus is onmodernisation and sustainment instead. In May,US Army Chief of Transportation Brig Gen JohnSullivan said that modernisation accounts are39% below 2012 budgets, and new programmesare limited to a handful.

This is partly a reflection of the reductions infunding caused by sequestration, but is also dueto the sheer number of vehicles procured overthe past decade. Much of this was driven byaccelerated responses to demands in Iraq andAfghanistan, but the result is that the overall ageof the TWV fleet is currently younger than it hasbeen in recent memory.

The armys truck fleet comprises over 278,000vehicles, yet their average age runs betweeneight years for medium trucks to five for light. As

a result, these assets are more capable of fillingcurrent and projected mission requirements.

Force reductions already under way andfurther restructuring that is being studiedwill impact on TWVs. The elimination of 13brigade combat teams (BCTs) along with theirheadquarters and support units announced inJune 2013, and the armys intent to reduce the TWV fleet by 60,000 vehicles, are evidence of thisand will affect the future mix of trucks employedby combat forces. The DoD, army and USMC aredue to present their TWV strategy to Congresslater this year.

DECISION TIMENew vehicle acquisitions have been limited byfunding constraints, and even some flagshipprogrammes like the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle(JLTV) have been scaled down to address price

concerns. Those that remain have the raptattention of industry because there are so fewlong-term production programmes.

JLTV is the largest open TWV programmewith a potential value of over $30 billion. Aspokesperson from PEO Combat Support &Combat Service Support (CS&CSS) told MilitaryLogistics International the project is on track andthat candidate vehicles are being tested.

JLTV is at the engineering, manufacturing,and development (EMD) phase and threecompanies Lockheed Martin, Oshkosh Defenseand AM General were awarded contractsto deliver 22 vehicles and six trailers each forgovernment testing.

Lockheed Martin had been selected for anearlier technology demonstration (TD) phase, butafter investing their own money AM General andOshkosh, which did not get TD contracts,

THE LONGHAUL

A combination of a lack of funding and apost-Afghanistan glut of platforms means thatUS wheeled support vehicle procurement andmodernisation programmes are currently thinon the ground. Stephen Miller reviewsthe remaining opportunities for industry.

The USMCs standard heavy tacticaltruck, the LVSR, is expected to continue

in service through 2030. (Photo: Oshkosh)


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US FOCUS

proposed separate new solutions for EMDand were duly selected. The JLTV requirementsissued under the EMD RfP were downscaledsignificantly from earlier specifications, leadingto comments that the TD phase was a wasteof money.

Following 14 months of testing, a selectionwill be made from between Lockheed MartinsJLTV, Oshkoshs L-ATV (Light All TerrainVehicle) and AM Generals BRV-O (Blast ResistantVehicle) for an initial production of 3,000. Thecontract could run through 2030, covering49,909 vehicles for the army and 5,500 for themarines in two basic variants: two-person andfour-person. A decision is due in July 2015 if itdoes not slip.

There has been some disagreement overthe unit price. The army earlier indicated amaximum of $250,000, but in May 2013, a DoDselected acquisition report placed the figure at$400,000 which included government-suppliedequipment, armour and other issue items.

SPECIAL PURPOSEUS Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)acquisitions include the GMV1.1 (GroundMobility Vehicle) and ITV (Internally TransportedVehicle) and both requirements will be filledby variants of the Flyer vehicle from GeneralDynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems(GD-OTS).

The company won the 1,300-vehicle GMVcontract on 22 April 2013 to replace modifiedHMMWVs. It was then selected the followingOctober for the ITV with a modified version of itsGMV submission. The ITV programme covers tenplatforms, although additional buys could beadded as the contact runs for three years.

The GMV must fit in the CH-47 and CH-53helicopters whilst the ITV can be transportedinside the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor. At 1,815kg,the ITV can also be sling-loaded by the UH-60Black Hawk. The selection of Flyer for bothprogrammes offers benefits in common training,logistics and maintenance.

GD-OTS programme manager Sean Ridleydescribed the Flyer as having 80% commonality

with the HMMWV or COTS components, withthe ITV and GMV differing primarily in chassiswidth. The GMV Flyer not only meets USSOCOMrequirements as a light vehicle under 7,000lb[3,182kg] but can also achieve 12,000lb(5,455kg) GVW.

The M1161/M1163 ITV/Light Strike Vehicle, alsoknown as Growler, was introduced by the USMCin 2004. The contract was issued to AmericanGrowler, later bought by General Dynamics.

Kevin McConnell, deputy director of theFires & Maneuver Integration Division at MarineCorps Combat Development Command saidthe Growler fleet is in rough shape as it hasbeen somewhat neglected due to recentoperational demands.

However, he added that the marines aregiving them attention and addressing this sothat Growler can remain in service through 2017-18. After this time, McConnell said: we willbegin to look at available options including otherservices fielded and projected vehicles andoff-the-shelf candidates. Following actions aredependent upon funding

HEAVIER LOADSSeveral speciality vehicle acquisitions are alsobeing pursued. These include: the Heavy Dump Truck (HDT), Modular Catastrophic RecoverySystem (MCRS), HMMWV Ambulance and severaltrailer programmes.

An HDT market survey was issued by TACOMLife Cycle Management Command on 26 March,following a draft requirement published inFebruary 2013. This outlines a requirement foran 8x8, 22.5 ton, 18 cubic yard dump truck with agross vehicle weight of 100,000lb including anarmoured cab.

The requirement is for 181 trucks, deliveredfrom 2016-18. An RfP has not been released,but the production delivery time frame suggests

an off-the-shelf solution is likely. Potentialcontenders could include Freightliner, Caterpillar,Navistar and Oshkosh.

The army has realised it is short of HMMWVM997A3 ambulance variants and is looking toacquire additional units. Tobyhanna ArmyDepot has worked with Rock Island Arsenal andproduced over 500 M997A3s for the NationalGuard, but whether the army will use this sourceis not yet clear.

However, a TACOM RfI for the shelter on theambulance suggests this may happen, althoughthis illustrates the tension between the armydepots and industry which would like the chanceto compete. This is a touchy subject no onewants to upset the army leadership, who see thedepots as part of the services structure and wantto keep them healthy.

The MCRS uses the M983A4 Light Equipment Transporter, a fifth wheel towing recoverydevice and tilt deck recovery trailer. Originallydeveloped as a Stryker recovery vehicle, it canhold 35t, lift 14.5t and tow 68t, giving it thecapability to handle other wheeled vehiclesincluding MRAPs.

Developed in collaboration with Tru-Hitch,Oshkosh Defense has delivered 125 MCRS, whichhave been fielded in limited numbers. As it wasrecently approved as a programme of record,additional buys are likely to be considered.Jason Marineau of Tru-Hitch told MLI : Thoughdeveloped as the Stryker Recovery System, MCRShas proved it is able to handle and retrieve manyother vehicles, even D8 bulldozers.

TOWED AWAY The use of tactical trailers offers advantagesby increasing the capacity and adaptability ofexisting trucks without increasing their numbers. This is particularly attractive when faced bymanpower and asset reductions.

The MCRS was fielded in limited numbers in response to urgentneeds in Iraq and Afghanistan to recover heavy wheeledvehicles. Further acquisitions are now likely. (Photo: TruHitch)


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US FOCUS

Volume 9 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONALwww. mil-log .com

The army is pursuing several new trailerbuys. These include the Light Engineer Utility Trailer (LEUT), the M106A1 and M200A1 formobile electric power, the Light Tactical Trailerre-buy and the M870A4 40t low boy. TheCombat Engineers view the LEUT as of significantimportance as it will provide the capability totactically move their M400 Skid Steer Loaders.

Even with the introduction of JLTV, between50,000 and 35,000 HMMWVs will remain inservice through 2025. Due to recent buys,much of this fleet is relatively new. The USMC hadconsidered a HMMWV Sustainment ModificationInitiative, but in July 2014 decided the effortwould be unaffordable and cancelledthe programme.

This was the last of a series of joint andindividual service HMMWV improvementprogrammes actively pursued by industry,often with their own investment, from 2008-12.It remains to be seen if this is the last wordon HMMWV, since it will be around for tenmore years.

MAINTAINING STANDARDS The current FMTV and HEMTT vehicles, bothfrom Oshkosh Defense, will remain the standardtactical transporters for the army. The focus is onextending the services medium and heavy fleets

life with overhauls and modernising older vehiclesto armour-capable configurations out to FY2025.

Survivability and crew protection remain ofhigh interest, with procurement of A-Cab andB-Kit armour packages expected to continue,but a major drawback in adding protection is aparallel reduction in payload and performance.

The implications of this reduced capabilityare particularly serious for deployed operations,as more platforms are needed to move thesame basic load (the estimate of what isneeded ammunition, rations, fuel and more to sustain operations for a set time). Less payloadper truck means more are needed. More trucksmean more fuel to run them, more drivers tooperate them, more strategic transports to getthem there, and so on.

Scott Davis from PEO CS&CSS said a majoreffort to reduce sustainment costs involvesdivesting older vehicles and trailers. But the armyis looking at other ways to lower costs.

In an industry briefing in May, Col WilliamBoruff, programme manager for transportationsystems, laid out three areas where he feltsavings could be achieved. These includedmaximising commonality between heavyand medium tactical vehicles, higher fuelefficiency and survivability enhancements.He said the Next Generation Tactical Transport

System Demonstration will provide a medium toevaluate these.

For the USMC, McConnell said currenttactical wheeled vehicles are the rightcapabilities and platform mix to support thecorps vision. Both Medium Tactical VehicleReplacement (MTVR) and Logistics VehicleSystem Replacement (LVSR) are relatively newand will be in use through to 2030, he added.

It is noteworthy that MTVR and LVSR areboth supplied by Oshkosh. The company isessentially the source of 85% or more of thearmy and marines TWVs, meaning it will be ina strong position for any associated supportwork. However, there will be limited additionalnew buys.

For the army, the fielding of the M915A5 6x4line-haul tractor truck developed by Daimler Trucks North America started in 2010 and thecontinued service of the Oshkosh HeavyEquipment Transporter along with legacy semi-trucks are seen as providing sufficient capabilitywithin its transportation companies for theforeseeable future.

CHALLENGES AHEADBoth army and USMC leadership have stated thatthe unpredictability of the budget is their mostserious concern, with no change to this situationexpected in the near future. So lean procurementof TWVs appears likely to continue, raisingthe question of what impact this will haveon the military truck manufacturing base andlonger-term force readiness.

In addition, given early indications that a shifttoward lighter systems is being considered, howwill current vehicles and acquisitions like JLTVfit these revised priorities? The answers willlikely play out over the next four years, butnew concepts and technology demonstrationswill likely find a difficult time transitioning to aprocurement path.

Critical questions will be whether arequirement is valid and if an existing systemcan fill it. Logistics and support costs will alsobe a key consideration when operational andmaintenance budgets are declining. MLI

Current tactical wheeledvehicles are the

right capabilities andplatform mix to support

the USMCs vision.

Selection of a final vendor for JLTV isscheduled for July 2015. AM GeneralsBRV-O is one of three candidates still inthe running. (Photo: AM General)


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F-35 SUSTAINMENT

The starting gun has been fired for theramp-up of facilities and capabilities thatwill be needed to sustain and support the F-35Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

With the release of the first RfI by the F-35Joint Program Office (JPO), the next few monthswill see an assessment of infrastructure in theAsia-Pacific and European regions to decidewhere best to place the F-35 airframe heavymaintenance, repair, overhaul and upgrade(MRO&U) centres.

As the prime contractor for the F-35, LockheedMartin is assisting the JPO with its assessment.Steve Sheehy, director of F-35 sustainmentstrategy at the company, told Military LogisticsInternational : The JPO has put an RfI out tothe partner countries and Foreign Military Salescountries asking [what industry] is capable of

doing the heavy MRO&U work. That is beingevaluated starting [in August]. There should bea decision on who is doing that work by the endof the year.

Medium and light maintenance will beconducted within each country, as eachoperator approaches this level of MROdifferently and it must fit in with local practices. The selection of just a few heavy MRO&U centresacross North America, Asia-Pacific and Europeis a way of reducing overcapacity andmaking the programme affordable by cuttingduplication of effort.

In Europe, with the size and closeness ofcountries they will only need one [centre],whereas Asia-Pacific covers such a large area withlittle land mass and a lot of ocean so there may betwo in that region. Every country aspires to have

more jobs so we have to have the RfI to look atwho is best suited to do it, Sheehy explained.

The countries selected to have the heavyMRO&U centres will have to establish theinfrastructure and capability themselves. Onceselected, the JPO will then choose sites forthe support of landing gear and supportequipment in 2015, with the remaining elementsof the aircraft support following in 2016.

There is some difficulty, as Japan and Italy havealready spent considerable sums on establishingfinal assembly and checkout (FACO) facilitiesin-country for their F-35s, and to retainaffordability it would make sense to use these asMRO&U centres. Countries that are not selectedwill have to rely on these centres for deeper-levelsupport of their aircraft. It remains to be seen ifthis will be acceptable.

PARTNER CONCEPTNorway is developing its logistics concept aroundagreements between the partner nations. Aspokesperson from the F-35 programme officeat the Norwegian MoD told MLI that thesustainment infrastructure will look very differentto that of traditional logistics support.

The most important conceptual differenceis that the armed forces themselves will not be

LOCATIONFINDING

As a highly complex platform enteringservice with multiple operators aroundthe world, a break with tradition hasproved necessary to handle heavymaintenance of the Joint Strike Fighter.Tim Fish finds out more.

8 MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL | Winter 2014 | Volume 9 Number 4 www. mil-log .com

The Royal Australian Air Force hasundertaken extensive preparatory work asit gets ready to support its first in-country

F-35 aircraft. (Photo: Australian DoD)


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F-35 SUSTAINMENT

establishing unique depot-level maintenancecapabilities in Norway to support just theNorwegian F-35 fleet. For national purposeswe will only invest in what may be referred to asuser-level maintenance capabilities, which iswhat will be carried out at the base at rland toproduce flight hours to support daily training andoperations, the spokesperson said.

In addition we will be establishing a nationaloperations centre for logistics which willcoordinate the support of the F-35 with theinternational partnership and the variouscommercial service providers under the umbrellaof a Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) system.

Whilst assessing the sites bidding to beMRO&U facilities, Lockheed Martin and the JPOare also looking ahead to analyse and modelwhat the centres will be doing and the capacitythat is needed. However, the programme is still inits early stages as there are just 86 aircraft flying innine different locations, with fewer than 15,000flying hours completed.

The US aircraft already flying are beingsupported in the North American region byOEMs Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney, aswell as DoD facilities. Air force F-35As and Cs willbe supported from a logistics centre at Hill AFB inUtah, with work on the marines F-35Bs takingplace at MCAS Cherry Point, in North Carolina.

This means that the global supply chain forspares and parts repair is already being utilisedvia the Autonomous Logistics InformationSystem (ALIS), which has matured along with thedevelopment of the airframe.

Sheehy said that as additional aircraft becomeoperational around the world, second sources ofrepair or spares will be established and LockheedMartin will partner with international industry andmore US government depots.

SPARES POOL There is a single global spares pool for all threevariants of the F-35 that will support the US,its eight international partners and any FMScountries that come into the programme.

It will be set up in a [PBL] environment,said Sheehy, The customers will be paying for

availability, not for a specific part. By having aglobal spares pool it allows us to buy witheconomies of scale, instead of each countryhaving their own supply chain or piles of spareparts, which reduces costs considerably.

The work of providing repairs for spare partsoutside the US will be selected by best value, headded. The chosen companies will then providerepair spares worldwide as part of the globalspares supply pool and every country will accessthis pool via ALIS. They will not do their ownrepair or supply of spare parts for the aircraft.

Sheehy said this is a paradigm shift in the wayaircraft are supported. With other multinationalfighter programmes such as Typhoon, Tornadoor F-16, each country supported its own aircraft,handling heavy MRO&U and the provision ofspare parts. With the F-35, all this work is doneregionally or centrally, resulting in major costsavings in the support of the aircraft. Other

programmes may have done this in a small way,but not on this scale.

There are major challenges in setting up aglobal spares pool. Modelling is not a challengebut it is something that we have to get right. Thespares pool depends on how well we model andlook into the future. We have a modelling systemthat goes through the spares daily once theyreach maturity to see where they are around theglobe, what our repair facilities are doing andhow fast the spares are getting out. That is aconstant monitoring we have to do, Sheehy said.

STEERING GROUPThe other area that we need to watch veryclosely is how parts move around the globe wehave taxes and tariffs in every country. And thatis something that the JPO is working on wehave a semi-annual meeting and an internationalsteering group that works taxes and tariffs.

9Volume 9 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONALwww. mil-log .com

Some levels of JSF maintenance will beconducted by service personnel, whileothers will be handled by OEMs and otherindustry partners. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)



F-35 SUSTAINMENT

The ALIS needs to be highly agile as morecountries receive their F-35 aircraft over the nextfew years and begin to operate them, particularlyfrom 2018 onwards. Sheehy said that LockheedMartin will work with Pratt & Whitney and theJPO to establish PBL relationships from 2016-18,and this period represents a huge steppingstone. By 2023 there needs to be a fully maturePBL supply chain in place.

ALIS can see existing stock levels in thewarehouses and when the parts are beingdelivered, but the potential of the system farexceeds the ordering of spares. It also controlsaircraft scheduling, aircraft maintenance,in-depth maintenance, training and personneltraining, Sheehy said. All of that is in ALIS. Ihave never seen a system like this that bringseverything together so that you are not usingtwo or three different systems.

F-35 simulators are also tied into ALIS, so if apilot or maintainer wants to reach back into thetraining system and review a lesson he had this isalso possible. Each new country coming onlineaccesses the network via its own central point ofentry ALIS server.

TIME PRESSUREIn Australia, which is bidding to set up a heavyMRO&U centre for Asia-Pacific, there is only a shortperiod in which to build up the infrastructure andcapabilities (see also the interview on p15).

The RAAF has two aircraft accepted that willremain in the US at Luke AFB as part of thetraining pool, and will use them to exerciseelements of the support system that will beestablished in Australia.

Operational Australian F-35 aircraft will hit thetarmac at the end of 2018, leading up to an initialoperating capability in 2020 when a maturesystem will need to be up and running.

AVM Chris Deeble, head of the JSF Project Team in Australia, told MLI : Then we will beintroducing a further two squadrons. One ofthem will be located in Tindal in northernAustralia, a fairly remote operating area, and willdeclare FOC [full operational capability] by theend of 2023 and that is when we expect to see amature Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment(ALGS) system in place to support the aircraftthrough its remaining life.

He added that part of the problem is thatALGS is still being worked through and there is aneed to understand the role of Australian industryin providing sovereign support, and where theRAAF will have to reach back into the global chainand integrate with the OEMs in the US.

We will be looking to work in partnershipwith them to establish a sovereign sustainmentcapability in Australia for the conduct of deeper-level maintenance on airframes and engines andother aircraft components based in Australia,Deeble said.

Operational-level maintenance will be doneby RAAF crews, but it is embedding personnelwith some of the industry depots handlingintermediate and deeper-level maintenance toget some cross-pollination. Selected elementsof operational level maintenance will beoutsourced to industry if it benefits the supportof deployed forces, and some work could be alsobe handled by a mixed workforce of uniformedand industry personnel.

However, deeper-level airframe maintenancewill be an industry task, along with deepermaintenance for engines. Some military staff maybe embedded as part of the overall learningprocess, but these services will be outsourcedin the main.

Deeper-level maintenance will not kick infor this aircraft in Australia until the 2025-26 timeframe, a few years into service. The aircraft will getto Australia new so you will not see any deeper-level maintenance evolutions until 2026-plus,Deeble said.

However, Australian ambitions go muchfurther and Deeble said that as the only partnernation in the Asia-Pacific region it is looking to do

The aircraft will get to Australia new so you willnot see any deeper-levelmaintenance evolutionsuntil 2026-plus.

The ALIS spares and repair managementsystem has been developed in parallel with theaircraft programme. (Photo: Lockheed Martin)

An impression of what Norways main JSFoperating base at rland will look like. Basic

maintenance will take place in the hangarettesin the foreground. (Photo: Norwegian MoD)


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F-35 SUSTAINMENT

the regional support for Japan, South Korea andSingapore as part of the ALGS system.

Although it is early days, Deeble recognisesthat both Japan and South Korea want to havetheir own industry actively engaged as a partnernation. Those sovereign requirements have yetto be worked out, but they will impact onthe regional capabilities that will be locatedin Australia.

In terms of regional maintenance, we seethat as being industry-based. In the case of pilottraining, it will probably be a mixed force ofuniformed personnel such as flying instructors,etc, with industry. Maintenance training will be amixture of uniformed and industry, and low-observability repair and test will be a mixed forcetoo, he said.

For airframe systems, hydraulics, SES,O-box, these will be industry outcomes. Avionicsmaintenance repair and overhaul, thepowerplant repair and overhaul, will also be anindustry outcome.

CHAIN REACTIONSupply chain management cuts across bothcamps, but in a global context it is industry-baseduntil it gets on to a military base, when there isalways an issue with getting out to the squadron,so that will be a uniformed responsibility.

Australia will send back data on the reliabilityand maintenance of the aircraft via ALIS andthis will be collated into the global supplychain by the OEMs. Deeble said that anadvantage of the reachback to the worldwidesustainment system is access to detailedtechnical airworthiness reports, maintenancerequirements and determining reliabilitystandards and conditioned-based monitoring(CBM) from an engineering perspective.

From a commercial perspective I want aperformance-based programme that I can lookat in aggregate. I would want to look at the globaland sovereign linkages to make sure that we stayon the line. Youd need to have efficiency factorscommon across those technical data rightsclearly established, IP rights, while thinking abouthow to reduce costs, he said.

From the maintenance perspective youwant to be tapping into servicing schedules,maintenance plans, training development,support and test equipment and broader lessonslearned. While we would do a lot of that inAustralia, you want the benefit of the reachbackto the wider footprint of the lessons thatare being learned in that environment and theability to optimise your outcomes in gettingan optimised maintenance programme, anoptimised inventory, and rationalised supplychains for the supply of items across thecustomer base.

DIFFERENT ANIMALDeeble recognises that Australia will be operatinga very different aircraft to previous fighters andthat the RAAF requires some unique supportarrangements for composite materials or newmetal combinations of aluminium and titanium,as well as managing MRO&U activities in harshconditions such as corrosive salty air nearthe ocean in New South Wales and a hot andUV-intensive environment in the Northern Territory.

The distance between Australia and othercountries will put strain on the supply chain, soDeeble said deciding on what level of support iscost-effective will require some thinking.

He continued: A lot of this relies on in-servicereliability and maintainability, and we have along way to go. My experience tells me it isabout seven to eight years before you getto the bottom of the bathtub curve andreally understand what that in-service reliabilityand maintainability is like. That is around the2025-6 time frame.

Deeble wants to operate flexible contractingmodels and establish Australian industry early on.

The issue is that I cannot afford to scale them100% up front we would have to scale themas we move into the periods of deeper-levelmaintenance in the 2026 time frame. But I do notwant to bring them on in 2024 and have anotherlearning curve, my aim is to bring them early,scale them appropriately and have them comeon the journey with us in the JSF enterprise. MLI

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PALLETS AND CASES

M ilitary cases come in numerous shapesand sizes, are made from a wide range ofsynthetic materials and produced by means ofvarying methods of manufacturing. What theyall have in common, however, is strength,durability and ease of use, and supplierscontinue to look for ways to minimise weightwhile ensuring manufacturing costs are kept aslow as possible.

Pallets and cases are designed for thetransportation of specific military equipment,while rackmount cases provide a means of easierstorage that take up less space. Westernmanufacturers must adhere to NATO standardsin their products, ensuring a degree ofstandardisation for users.

INJECTION MODELSOne such company is US-based SKB Cases,which supplies a number of markets themilitary sector being just one of them. Its iSeriesinjection molded cases, R-series rotationallymolded cases, and 3 SKB/3 RR-series shock andisolation rack cases are in use with both US andNATO forces.

SKB has not only secured large-scale ordersfrom the US armed forces in its domestic market,but over the past four years it has sold into NATOforces, including the Royal Netherlands MarineCorps, Army and Air Force, as well as the UKsRoyal Marines and RN.

For SKB, as well as other suppliers, perhaps themost important factor in a military cases design

is the ability to withstand the rigours of thebattlefield and everyday military use. They mustbe rugged, durable and sufficiently lightweightto be moved by one soldier, sailor or airman.

According to Robert Wilkes, senior VP ofglobal operations at SKB, the company hasdeveloped polymers that are stronger than anyof those its competitors are using. These allow itsproducts to be lighter in weight, while remainingstrong and resilient. He pointed to SKBs 3i-seriesinjection molded cases, which are typically 10%lighter in weight and 2.8 times tougher onimpact strength compared to other US- orItalian-made products.

These features are essential on operationaldeployments, as the less weight soldiers have to

Suppliers continue tolook for ways to minimiseweight while ensuringmanufacturing costs arekept down.

STORAGE

WARS

For the efficient transportationof military equipment, palletsand cases must be rugged,easy to use and remain cost-effective for the customer.Mike Bryant examinessome of the offerings onthe market.

ECS Cases Rotomold range (right) is made of linear low-density polyethylene, whileits rackmounts (left) use thermo-stamped composite material. (Photos: ECS Case)


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PALLETS AND CASES

move, the better, and the improved impactstrengths help ensure sensitive contents willarrive in acceptable condition.

Weight reductions when moving by airtranslate to dollars saved, but when beingcarried by a soldier in the field can result ina more operationally ready fighting force,potentially saving lives, explained Wilkes.

COMPOSITE MATERIALSAnother key player in this market is ECS Case, aUS manufacturer with four distinct product linesbased on different composite material designs.

Its Rotomold range is rotationally moldedfrom linear low-density polyethylene andcomprises various styles of shipping containers,including footlockers, gun cases, transit cases,drawer and tote cases. Its Thermo-StampedComposite (TSC) products are produced from40% long-strand glass reinforced in apolypropylene base that is heated and pressedinto forms used to create containers. Products inthis range include rackmount cases, transit cases,battery boxes and totes.

Its Fiberglass Reinforced Polyester (FRP)products consist of long-strand glass fibres in anisophthalic resin that is heated and pressed intoforms used to create containers, while itsVacuum Infusion Process (VIP) products are

manufactured by means of a vacuum bag resininfusion process.

As a result, ECS offers large shipping andstorage containers (over 4x4x4ft) by meansof this latter process. The companys largestcontainer measures 33.5x8.5x4.5ft.

All these materials and designs have their ownadvantages, offering different levels of strength,durability, weight and degrees of impact andtemperature resistance.

OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENTSECS cases have been procured for: theUSAFs Battle Airborne Communication Nodeprogramme (both rackmount and Rotomoldcases); the USNs Broad Area MaritimeSurveillance programme (rackmount cases); andthe US Armys Family of Medium TacticalVehicles (battery trays and covers).

Cases can also be designed for the transportand storage of particular military items, such assmall arms. For example, ECS offers several stylesof rifle and pistol storage products that house asfew as one weapon and as many as 24.

Programme manager and marketing directorStephanie Quinn told Military LogisticsInternational that these are popular in themilitary marketplace and are gaining traction inthe commercial sector. She claimed that the

companys Loadmaster shipping, transit andweapons cases are one of the best suchproducts for rugged transportability and storage.

In addition to rifle and pistol cases forstandard commercial weapons, ECS has anumber of products designed and fielded forthe Precision Sniper Rifle (PSR), which arecurrently being used by both Remington andAccuracy International.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT The technological developments in militarycases have been surprisingly revolutionary overrecent decades, and the pace of change is stillhigh today.

According to Wilkes, SKB has at least 20 newproducts in various stages of development atany time. He explained that over the courseof just 30 days in mid-2014, the companyreleased a new R-series rotationally moldedcase designed for the USMC and a new iSeriesinjection-molded case size that is alreadyspecified for a UAV programme in Europe.

A total of three new iSeries sizes wereexpected to be released as MLI went to pressfollowing final product testing runs.

Quinn said that ECS has led the R&D effortinto cases since 1954, and since then, withthe invention and original patent for the

USAF loadmasters with the 300th AirliftSquadron help push a pallet of rice onto aforklift during a humanitarian aid missionto Haiti in July 2011. (Photo: USAF)



PALLETS AND CASES

transportable military rackmount case in 1969.More recently, it has continued with thedevelopment and launch of Loadmaster in itsRotomold and TSC product lines.

Another new launch by ECS is the RotoCube. These cubes can be attached to the larger sizesof the companys rotomolded cases andtherefore moved by both forklift and pallet jacks, eliminating the need for palletising. Suchenhancements can significantly increase thevalue of cases for many customers.

Cases are also subject to further refinementson their external surfaces, and SKB hasdeveloped latching and vibration isolationsystems over the past year that are available onthe removable rack cases of its 3 RR series.

Changes in material and design are ledmostly by the manufacturers themselves ratherthan through any fundamental changes inthe demands of military users. Wilkes saidthat military standards have remained prettyconsistent in nature, although armed forces andindividual soldiers using cases still would like tosee products that are even stronger, lighter andeasier to use.

To develop an improved product each timerequires working closely with the customer toassess needs, as well as manufacturing partners.

MEETING STANDARDSStandardisation across products is particularlyimportant throughout the developmentprocess. Wilkes noted: It is true that bestengineering practices are being required by allmultinational forces. To this end, SKB workswith a number of European MoD engineers aswell as the US military and many militarycontractors such as Thales, Boeing andRaytheon, among others, to develop the best

available product products to meet the need ofthe warfighter.

ECS Cases Loadmaster rotationally moldedshipping cases are modular, and cases of differentsizes can securely stack and interlock together. The products are also suitable for use on 463Lpallets, the standard in military aircraft pallets.

They are by no means the only cases that offerthis sort of applicability, as most manufacturersin the market will ensure their products are air-portable on the 463L.

AAR Mobility Systems is a leading supplier tothe US DoD, and it has been providing 463Lpallets for the USAF since the early 1960s, aswell as its own ISO containers since the mid-1980s.

The 463L is the centrepiece of the companysproduct line along with its 6/E Air CargoPallet, which has been the mainstay of cargomovements for the USAF since 1963. Morerecently, AAR has also expanded into pallets fortransporting ISO containers, palletised seat/galley/lavatory units for military transport aircraftand even palletised systems designed for navyundersea rescue platforms.

ORDER LISTAAR continues to secure customers for its463L. In February, the UK MoD signed a four-year8.3 million ($13.8 million) contract for thecompanys 100,000lb (45,360kg)-capacity 463Lbalsa wood core pallets to be used on a varietyof RAF aircraft, including the C-130J Hercules,C-17A Globemaster III, A330 Voyager andA400M.

The UK MoD has been acquiring AARs 463Lsfor over a decade. The company also announcedin February that the USAF had placed a furtherorder for 463L pallet production and repair. The

contract has a two-year base period value of$133 million, and might be worth an estimated$323 million over the full five-year term.

Away from the mainstay of the militarypallet fleet, AAR pushed its latest model of theISU 56000 Series container also marketed asthe Gen X Container towards rapid reactionforces. The Gen X is designed for rapid loadingand unloading and does not require its ownpallet or tie-down chains, being equipped tolock into aircraft cargo restraint systems.

The ISU 56000 Series is suitable for both fixed-wing main deck transport or underslunghelicopter operations, as well as land or seatransport, and is built to be rugged, dust-proofand sand-proof, while stackable two-high.

FEATURES AND BENEFITSPhillip Adams, VP of sales and marketing atAAR, told MLI that its products benefit frombeing lightweight offering ease of handlingand a minimal transport footprint while havingintermodal suitability, corrosion resistance,optional EMI/RFI shielding and even CBRNEprotection.

Weight reduction has been a particular focusfor the civilian air cargo container sector formany years with the use of lighter unit loaddevice containers, with the effect of saving fueland lowering emissions.

Lightweight designs in the commercial sectorhave used composite materials and plasticcontainers, rather than aluminium. The difficultylies in maintaining the strength and durability ofthe container, while minimising weight.

The technology for the smaller, lightweightcontainers (the ubiquitous LD3 and AKEbaggage and cargo containers) in the civiliansector is now mature, and many of the worldslargest carriers have already moved across tolightweight container fleets, while others are inthe process of doing so.

The same cannot be said of the largercontainers required by main deck freighters, or forpallets, where the search for the right materialsand designs continues. Developments here maywell spread into the military sphere. MLI

SKBs cases are currently used by many NATO armed forces, including the US, British andNetherlands services. (Photo: SKB Cases)


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DEPTH FORWARD

www. mil-log .com Volume 9 Number 4 | Winter 2014 | MILITARY LOGISTICS INTERNATIONAL

W hat we have to do between now andthe start of 2018 is to establish theinfrastructure the bricks and mortar and theinterfaces that are required for the supportingIT systems, like the Autonomous LogisticsInformation System [ALIS], explained Deeble.

The combined budget for JSF stage 1 and 2 isaround A$15.5 billion (US$13.7 billion) of whichA$1.6 billion is associated with infrastructure.Deeble noted that this funding will allow for theexpansion of the main operating base at RAAFWilliamtown in New South Wales and work atRAAF Tindal in the Northern Territory.

UPDATING FACILITIES

It will involve updating facilities associatedwith ordnance storage and management...and some minor works with FOBs at Curtin,Sherga and Learmonth that we would operatein contingencies, he said.

At Williamtown, the work includes extension ofthe runway and upgrading maintenance facilities,as so far they are only supporting AustraliasF/A-18 Hornet.

The sorts of issues to address at Williamtowninclude establishing operational maintenancecapabilities. We will have to set up some deepermaintenance facilities refurbishing some,potentially leasing some. We will have to set upa deeper engine maintenance facility here inAustralia and probably have to look at what wecan set up in a more holistic fashion for the lifeof the aircraft.

Deeble highlighted the extent of the work thatneeds to be completed at Williamtown beforeinitial operating capability when the first squadronis stood up in 2020, and the final operatingcapability in 2023. We have got pilot trainingfacilities, maintenance training facilities, somespecialist repair facilities for the maintenance ofthe JSF in terms of its stealth and backshopsfor specific systems like the canopy, wheels,

undercarriage etc. From my experience runningbig programmes, that time will go in the blink ofan eye, so we have a lot of work to be done in avery short period of time.

As part of a global sustainment system, supportfor Australias JSF will include the ability to accessthe global supply chain and reach back to the USin a way that has not been done before with otheraircraft on this scale.

What that means is that [there are] facilities,such as the offboard information centre, that wehave not had before with our Hornet. This will bea central node for our computing systems and theALIS system supporting the aircraft, and it willreach back to Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth andother US agencies.

That facility will need to be up and runningby the 2017 time frame, fully tested and fullyintegrated into our defence information networkenvironment [and] into our restricted and secretnetworks, in time, and tested and certified forwhen the aircraft are operating.

ON DISPLAY

Other specific facilities unique to the JSF willneed to be established in Australia. One is forthe fitment of the aircrafts helmet-mounteddisplay. It is not a matter of going and pickingone off the shelf it has to be fitted to the pilot,it has to be calibrated and all those sorts ofthings, continued Deeble. So that will comewith an increased overhead than what we hadto do for classic systems using NVGs or classicdisplays.

Other facilities include repair units to maintainthe stealthy characteristics of the aircraft. Theability to fix scratches or fix dents in theouter mold line of the aircraft and then tosubsequently test to make sure that you haveretained the stealthy characteristics that is quitea unique element in the aircraft. However, otherfacilities are more typical for support of aircraft, but

will need some modification. Some warehousingbuildings have been around for some time andwill need to be updated to support the aircraftalong with existing deeper maintenance-levelfacilities.

This aircraft comes with a lot of advancedmanufacturing and we are going to have to learnas we go about keeping the aircraft under coverin corrosive environments like Williamtown,where you are very close to the ocean andunderstanding what that means [when] updatingthe aircraft in terms of re-coating or other thingsfor the Australian environment. Those are allthings we are going to have to learn by doing andthey may come with additional overheads.

Security is also a serious and complex issuebecause the JSF is highly classified and the aircrafthas to be protected, as do the informationsystems around, it in an appropriate way. Deeblesaid this also comes with a huge overhead interms of how the security of the base is managed,as well as other aspects.

The runway extensions have some significanceas well. When JSF is operating, sometimesan afterburner is required to take off. AtWilliamtown, we have extended the runway sothat you dont have to take off using afterburners. This reduces the noise impact on the Newcastlearea and we will be doing similar works at Tindalto reduce the noise impact there. MLI

STRIKE HOME

With preparations for the introduction of the F-35 JSF under way, Tim Fish talks to the RAAFsAir Vice Marshal Chris Deeble ,programme manager of the JSF Division in Australia, about theinfrastructure developments required to support the aircraft.


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