ARMY AL&T
and upgrade a UH-60A to UH-60L, and paved the way for the next phase of Black Hawk fl eet sustainment—the induction, recap, and upgrade of 38 UH-60As to UH-60Ls per year begin- ning with FY09. In June 2009, the fi rst production UH-60A to A to L aircraft was delivered to the Delaware ARNG, establishing steady state A to A to L recap operations at CCAD.
Capacity Expansion— Keeping Up With Demand
With the viability and benefi t of UH-60A to A to L recap established and proven, the demand to induct old, tired, yet still in service, UH-60As for return of a like-new UH-60L has grown exponentially. From other government agencies to foreign allies, many entities beyond the U.S. Army employ UH-60As in their fl eets, and most of these are the oldest UH-60As out there. To preserve 100 percent CCAD capacity to meet the Army’s demand for recap as highest priority, and yet also meet this external demand, the UHPO has embarked on an initiative to stand up a dual source capability to execute UH-60A to A to L recap. Through leveraging the unique technical expertise and manufacturing capability of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp., original equipment manufacturer of the UH-60, that effort is well underway at Sikorsky’s fi eld operations center at Chase Field, TX. The fi rst of two Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection aircraft currently in process of A to A to L recap at Chase Field were completed in February 2010. Completion of these aircraft will validate the capability of Chase Field
Co-pilot WO2 Jay Falkenburg pre-fl ights the fi rst production UH-60L Black Hawk to roll out of CCAD. (U.S. Army photo by Ed Mickley, CCAD PAO.)
as a dual source for UH-60A to A to L recap for non-Army aircraft and over- fl ow Army aircraft at CCAD.
The Next Chapter—UH-60L to L Recap
As UH-60As are steadily exhausted from the fl eet through a combination of A to A to L recap and divestiture, the next target in the life-cycle sustain- ment of Black Hawks will be the aging UH-60Ls. To that end, the UHPO plans to induct a UH-60L to L pro- totype at CCAD in late FY10 for execution during FY11, with recurring L to L recap slated to begin in FY12. UH-60A to A to L recap and L to L recap will operate in parallel through at least FY15.
COL L. NEIL THURGOOD is the Project Manager for Utility Helicopters. He holds a B.S. in business manage- ment and a minor in communications from the University of Utah, an M.S. in system acquisition management from the Naval Postgraduate School, an M.S. in strategic studies from Air University, and a Ph.D. in management from Argosy University. Thurgood is certifi ed Level III in program management and contracting and Level I in test and evaluation.
The UH-60L capability is a force multiplier in overseas contingency operations, delivering and supporting the most capable, reliable, and sustainable weapons platform to the battlefi eld.
32 APRIL –JUNE 2010
ZACHARY A. BEST is the AMRDEC Engineering Directorate project lead for the UH-60A to A to L Recap Program in the UH-60A/L/M Product Offi ce, UHPO, Program Executive Offi ce Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, AL. He holds a B.S. in industrial and systems engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Best is Level III certifi ed in systems planning, research, development, and engineering, and is a U.S. Army Acquisition Corps member.
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