AEF Battlelab tests universal aircraft jacks

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Anthony Vincelli
  • 124th Wing Public Affairs
BOISE, Idaho (AFPN) --  Any Airman who has ever worked on the flightline during a rotation in the desert knows that the aerospace ground equipment he or she uses is often specific to a particular airframe.

Heavy aircraft jacks, in particular, are not one-size-fits-all equipment. After all, people cannot use the same set of jacks to lift a C-17 Globemaster III in the air that they would a C-5 Galaxy.

Enter the Air Expeditionary Force Battlelab at nearby Mountain Home Air Force Base, and its latest development -- the Mobile Aircraft Jacks Equipment Kit. The jacks are designed to replace many of the airframe-specific jacks currently used by Air Force aircraft maintainers, said project officer Tech. Sgt. Ronald Newpher.

“These jacks can be used on many of our heavy aircraft, including the C-5, C-17, B-1 Lancer, C-130 Hercules, KC-135 Stratotanker and even the B-52 Stratofortress,” Sergeant Newpher said. “By using one type of jack for several different airframes, we can dramatically reduce the deployment time and amount of cargo we deploy with.”

Aerospace ground equipment, like aircraft jacks, makes up 40 percent of a standard cargo deployment package, battlelab officials said. Much of it is bulky and airframe or mission specific.

This jacking system, however, is much smaller because instead of needing the typical diesel-engine-driven hydraulic pump, it is driven by air pressure. Four jacks and all the associated equipment can fit on two standard cargo pallets. This space savings translates to cost savings for the Air Force, Sergeant Newpher said.

“We have estimated that by pre-positioning the new jacks in the (area of responsibility), the Air Force could save $2.5 million during every (air and space expeditionary force) rotation -- that’s every 15 months,” Sergeant Newpher said.

Battlelab officials and representatives from the jacking system’s manufacturer were at Gowen Field here recently to test the system for the first time on a C-130 aircraft. The test was also an opportunity for the customers -- Air Force maintenance specialists -- to try the system out.

“We are familiar with the standard B-4 jacks, so it was a little difficult at first to get used to this new system,” said Senior Master Sgt. Al Goodman, a C-130 flight chief for the Idaho Air National Guard’s 124th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Gowen Field. “But I can definitely see the benefit of having a nearly universal system like this when you are dealing with different types of aircraft in a deployed environment.”

Sergeant Newpher said the learning curve is low with the new system and that any extra time spent on getting the jacks into position will be made up when the aircraft is raised off the ground.

“It takes less than 10 minutes to get the aircraft in the air once the jacks are set,” he said.

In addition, the system also supplies a deployable load tester, which is not currently available.

The battlelab staff is in the final phase of this initiative. They have completed tests on several aircraft and are still collecting user inputs to make necessary modifications. Officials have not determined if or when these will be used in a real-world scenario, but for now, the testing is going well, Sergeant Newpher said.

The next steps in the process of eventually introducing this product to the Air Force will be completed with the help of officials at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins AFB, Ga. They will help find a manufacturer and assist in the approval process necessary to turn this idea into a working product that Air Force people can use.

“I hope to one day return to working on the flightline and turn a wrench on one of these jacks,” Sergeant Newpher said.