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Recently team members of the 580th Aircraft Sustainment Group of the 330th Aircraft Sustainment Wing at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Robins AFB, Georgia, announced the delivery of a test set for the MH-53J/M helicopter 14 weeks ahead of contract delivery schedule. The contractor is Integrated Defense Solutions (IDS), a woman-owned small business located in South Easton, Massachusetts.
The MH-53 J/M Pave Low helicopter is configured with dual 650-gallon auxiliary fuel tanks that are necessary for extended operational range of the aircraft. The auxiliary tank pylons have a jettison system that allows the aircrew to jettison the tanks during emergency situations. Currently the Air Force does not have a dedicated MH-53 J/M test set for testing the integrity of the system wiring and the functionality of the tank jettison system. Maintenance personnel use common support equipment and procedures to check the system wiring; however, the existing equipment does not check for loose wires, corrosion, bad circuit breakers, or other electrical problems. Over a length of time, the system may accumulate such problems which in turn may hinder the ability of the system to jettison the tanks during an emergency. The need for the test set was further advanced as a result of a helicopter crash in Afghanistan.
In April 2006, IDS was awarded a contract to produce a prototype MH-53 J/M test set, along with production sets, as a result of a small business set-aside competition. This test set will perform all checks needed to insure the safe and proper operation of the jettison system, thereby enhancing the overall performance of the MH-53 helicopters. The 580 Aircraft Sustainment Group team members are pleased with the performance of the IDS test set along with their delivering so far ahead of schedule.
Arthur Borbor
580 ACSSS/GFEAD
Robins AFB GA
(478) 926-6624
E-mail: arthur.barbor@robins.af.mil
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