ARMY AL&T
Bunker’s 1957 article explained that Army aircraft are of a “standard com- mercial design which, with or without modification, are usually procured from the normal manufacturers of similar civil items. … While we usually supply a statement of our requirements and … spend many hours in a meticulous review of details of design on the part of the manufacturer, it is highly debat- able … that we … add anything to the technical assemblage that goes to make a complete aircraft. As a consequence … it is in the final analysis, … [the manufacturer’s] airplane and we have merely decided that the assemblage which they have designed is as near satisfactory for our purpose as we can expect to get.”
The Army continues to purchase com- mercial aircraft in accordance with the concept explained in Bunker’s article, and the fixed-wing aircraft fleet of today is composed exclusively of commercial and commercial derivative aircraft. When selected, the Future Utility Aircraft is also expected to be a commercial or commercial derivative aircraft.
Although more than 50 years have passed since Bunker’s paper was first published, fundamental logistics prin- ciples and goals remain the same. Army
fixed-wing aircraft were supported initially by a military maintenance structure, but in the late 1970s, the Army began a transition from organic maintenance support to contractor logistic support when it stopped train- ing fixed-wing fleet maintainers because the fleet size was too small to provide a hierarchy for advancement. This change continued through the 1980s, when all the Army’s military occupational specialties for fixed-wing mechanics were eliminated. Since that time, all Army fixed-wing maintenance has been performed exclusively by commercial sources. What has not changed over the years, however, is the logisticians’ ability to recognize the importance and benefits of basic logistics concepts such as standardization and maintain- ability. Although we remain limited in our ability to influence the design of commercial aircraft, the Army benefits tremendously from standardization with larger commercial markets.
The operational and tactical manage- ment of Army fixed-wing aircraft has also changed over the past 50 years. When Bunker’s article was published, cargo aircraft belonged to Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depots, observation aircraft belonged to maneu- ver units, and utility aircraft belonged
to major commands. Referring to the Army Fixed Wing Force in 1957, Bunker indicated that the “high com- mand has repeatedly emphasized that we have no desire nor necessity to rees- tablish a separate Army Air Corps to handle our … aviation program but can fit it into our existing structures.” That viewpoint was completely reversed on April 12, 1983, when Army aviation was consolidated and became a separate branch of the Army, in recognition of the demonstrated and ever-increasing importance of aviation in Army doctrine and operations.
Aviation Ground Support Equipment Portfolio
Ground support of all Army aircraft, whether it is fixed-wing or rotary-wing, is accomplished by the AGSE PMO. Before it was established, AGSE was a weapon system management director- ate tasked with a sustainment mission. In December 2003, the Army formally recognized the need for total life-cycle management of the ground support equipment that was used for aviation platforms fleetwide, and the AGSE PMO was chartered. The PMO’s main- tenance mission continues to mature as the aircraft it supports are modernized.
The Aviation Ground Power Unit (AGPU) is an example of the maturing technology in use today. This gas-turbine, engine-powered, enclosed auxiliary unit is wheel-mounted and self-propelled. It provides AC/DC electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic service for all Army rotary-wing aircraft. The current AGPU includes enhanced electrical service for the AH-64D Apache Longbow heli- copter and has a zero-time overhauled gas-turbine engine and hydraulic module, larger fork wells to allow for handling by rough terrain forklifts, and new hydraulic hoses.
The Aviation Ground Power Unit provides AC/DC electrical, hydraulic, and pneumatic service for all Army rotary-wing aircraft. (Photo courtesy of PM AGSE.)
The Aviation Intermediate Maintenance (AVIM) Shop Set (SS) Plus program provides an easily transportable and modular maintenance capability
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