"The supply by air of Airborne forces in the enemy's rear areas is basically a technical problem which can be solved..."

Gen. Franz Halder, German Chief of Staff, WWII

The many vehicles High or Low-Velocity Airdrop (H/LVAD or "Heavy drop") delivered to the U.S. Airborne are placed on airdrop platforms and shock absorbing honeycomb which are pulled out of the rear ramp of USAF transport aircraft and lowered to the ground by cargo parachutes. The vehicles quickly roll off after de-rigging by their drivers, but recovery of these air items on the drop zone is difficult.

The standard way the U.S. Airborne receives bulk supplies of ammunition, food, and water is the Container Delivery System (CDS) which is a A-22 fabric wrap with straps that is placed on a wooden skid board and shock absorbing honeycomb that rolls off the rear ramp of USAF C-212, C-23, C-222, C-130, C-141B, C-17 aircraft and descends by cargo parachute. The standard CDS A-22 bundle is anywhere from 250 to 2,200 pounds in weight. These critical supplies are airdropped en masse and sit in the drop zone until they can be recovered by dismantling the A-22 wrap and placing the items on vehicles or Paratrooper's rucksacks. In ship terms this is "break bulk"-- a time consuming and tactical liability to do in an open danger area slowing the flow of supplies to Paratroopers in contact with the enemy.

As future Airborne war theorists like Maj Michael Kazmierski, U.S. Army have stated, future Airborne forces must reduce their dependance on air lines of resupply by taking more supplies with them in the initial assault. He also goes on to note the danger these forces face to seize, then defend airfields from enemies equipped with indirect fire tube and rocket artillery. To counter this threat, airdropped CDS supplies must be more mobile so they can be recovered and distributed QUICKLY away from the open drop zone and some of these supplies must be the new Fighting Position Overhead Covers (FPOCs). With FPOCs, Airborne troops can withstand tremendous enemy fire if it cannot be silenced by our own far reaching recon & security elements directing our own artillery counter-battery fire. Other A-22s should have folding All-Extreme Terrain "Mountain" Bikes (A/ETBs) and All-Terrain, All-purpose Carts (ATACs) so the Airborne can move at 4-25 mph and not just a foot slog. Heavy drop vehicle air items need to be cleared so the drop zone can become an assault zone--capable of accepting STOL fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft.

Mobile CDS bundles

The WWII German Fallschirmjaegers had fat tires on their equipment containers dropped seperately for towing. The German Airborne carts were especially helpful at the Battle for Crete. I propose that we keep A-22 containers intact and roll them off the drop zone, exposing fewer Paratroopers to enemy fire THEN under cover distribute vital supplies from supply points of our own choosing. I offer the following as possibilities:

1. Rig A-22s with forklift pallets

2. Rig A-22s with skid boards with forklift slots created by a second piece of wood

The A-22s land in large numbers. They are quickly shuttled off the drop zone by 1-2 Paratroopers per A-22 using either:

3. A manual fat-tire pallet jack that can roll over rough terrain airdropped on specially marked A-22s. Develop a lightweight manual forklift jack that can raise the A-22 up high enough so it can be slid onto the back end of HMMWV or FMTV trucks. Make this jack have fat tire wheels so it can also be used to hand-tow CDS bundles off the DZ if no motor vehicles are available.

4. Provide a set of 4 All-Terrain Wheels on top OUTSIDE of the A-22 that can be attached to roll the A-22 off the drop zone

5. Purchase rough-terrain fork-lift vehicles (RTFLVs) that could be air-dropped, recovered and driven to the A-22s using diesel engine power to lift up and singly move them and/or place them onto truck or trailer flatbeds to the supply collection point (s) The U.S. Army already has very compact 4K RTFLs in service, 6K and a 10K soon to be fielded. Details are at these www links:

http://www.cascom.army.mil/multi/Materiel/materiel_handling_equip/fact_sheets/4K_Rough_Terrain_Forklift.doc

http://www.cascom.army.mil/multi/Materiel/materiel_handling_equip/fact_sheets/All_Terrain_Lifter_Army_System-ATLAS_10K_Forklift.doc

The simplest and most versatile option would be to create forklift compatibility to A-22s and giving each AT wheels. This would not change in any way the current load plans of airdrop aircraft. Then, as time and money permit motorized RTFLVs could be obtained.

CARDBOARD A-22 CONTAINERS: NO DIFFERANCE BETWEEN AIRDROP OR AIRLAND

"The main problem with airdrop containers is that they are not disposable. Since the military is funded by the taxpayer, there is an element of fiscal responsibility on the part of commanders to insure that unnecessary costs are held to a minimum. In the 1960s the Army experimented with wooden airdrop platforms instead of modular ones purchased from outside sources for one reason - to hold down costs. Parachutes, webbing and other airdrop materials have to be retrieved and returned to the depot for re-use, just as is the case with aluminum 463L pallets. That is the main objection to the use of airdrop over airland, when airland is an option.

Second, an airland mission INSURES that the cargo is delivered precisely while airdrop is often hit or miss. There are a lot of variables involved with airdrop that are not present for airland. There are instances when aidrop should be the preferred method - when there is no airstrip in close enough proximity to the intended recipients to allow timely delivery, in the event of enemy fire that dictates that the transports should be exposed minimally and in situations where airland is impossible. In low-threat areas airlift resupply into forward fields followed by helicopter redistribution to the units in the field is the most effective method of front-line delivery. However, this changes as helicopters are threatened by ground fire, in which case airdrop becomes the only option."

One of the negative assumptions concerning airdrop of supplies is that airlanding them somehow delivers more material per plane when the truth is that DISPOSABLE IS LIGHTER THAN REUSABLE. Disposable only has to survive one mission so it can be the minimum amount of material to get the job done (light), whereas reusable has to be thicker and made of more durable materials for years of reuse, and thus heavier and more expensive.

When supplies are placed on aluminum covered balsa wood 463L pallets for Airlanded delivery the weight penalty for the pallet and cargo nets is 358 pounds per pallet! This is hardly an efficient use of aircraft lift capabilities.The USAF also want their expensive 463L pallets/cargo nets back, a major headache for the Army unit supposedly being helped with resupply.

The truth be known, the AIRDROP Container Delivery System (CDS) using disposable packing materials can be far more efficient than AIRLAND delivery using reusable 463L pallets and cargo nets. In fact, airland or airdrop should be interchangeable--the only differance being for airdrop a disposable ringslot parachute would be added for high velocity airdrops, and a disposable cargo parachute for low velocity airdrops. For freedrop or airland there would be no differance at all in the way cargo items are packed. Whenever possible free/high velocity airdrop with its greater accuracy and minimal wind drift that can be done at high altitudes (10,000 feet plus) to avoid enemy small arms and missile fires should be employed for food, water and ammunition deliveries to U.S. Army units on the ground.

The way to exploit these truths is by replacing the reusable A-22 CDS canvass wrap with a disposable cardboard box. Instead of reusable 463L pallets or plywood skidboards a skid board with an extra layer for a 4K rough terrain forklift tongues to lift/move the supplies would be the base for ALL air delivered supplies. Then, slid through the forklift slots would be two pieces of stiff cardboard which like the A-22 "wrap" will be the walls of the container. A Honeycomb shock absorber layer is added. The cargo is then lashed and stacked to the skidboard/forklift pallets. The walls are then folded upright and taped tight around the load. A sleeve box is then placed around the walls making a complete box for either airland or freedrop. If deceleration is required, a ringslot or full parachute is strapped to the container using A-7A type XIII nylon straps. These parachutes can be existing reusable types or in the future disposable types.

With the cardboard CDS container system, the absolute minimum of packing materials is used and none of the items are high cost and need be recovered. The Army ground unit can grab the supplies and bury/burn the cardboard like MRE boxes. In airland ops, there are no 463L pallets and cargo nets to worry about, the USAF loadmaster(s) slides the CDS bundles out the rear ramp and the plane takes off, reducing aircraft exposure time on the ground to enemy fires. In airdrop ops, there are no A-22 bags and parachutes to recover and turn in for freedrop and when disposable parachutes become widespread for low/high velocity drops, too. In peacetime the water-resistant CDS cardboard like the MRE ration cases would be able to be reused to conserve the mass quantities of CDS cardboard containers that could be cheaply stockpiled for all out war missions. The pallet skidboards/CDS cardboard boxes would eliminate 463L pallets and cargo nets except for large items that cannot fit into the A-22's 4 feet by 4 feet and 100 inch height dimensions.

Another key benefit of cardboard CDS containers is that they can be spray painted in colors or markings to designate the type of supplies contained and what unit they belong to to speed unit delivery.

Palletized Loading System (PLS) airdrop platforms

What a PLS-capable LVAD platform would achieve is the ability for one Airdroppable FMTV truck with Load Handling System (PLS) features to recover and move an entire drop zone's collection of supplies to their desired supply points without need of breaking bulk, and to recover them without loss of air items that would have been scattered de-rigging them. For vehicle airdrop, it would mean faster recovery of their expensive platforms with minimum of personnel.

These ideas if enacted would save lives, help win wars and save the Army $$$ money in lost equipment and supplies. They need to be tried, perfected and fielded ASAP.

Mobile Door Bundles using SKEDCO and ATACS: return of the Door Bundle: time to train as we fight

"Green light!" 82nd Airborne Paratroopers exit the left and right doors of the mighty C-17 Globemaster III transport, hitting the ground ready-to-fight....except for one group of men; the two Javelin gunners in each rifle platoon. WHERE IS THEIR JAVELINS?

The Javelin missile is the amazing fire & forget, top-attack, signature-less replacement for the maligned Dragon ATGM. It is fired from a Command Launch Unit (CLU) with a thermal sight that detects the heat signatures of vehicles, men and equipment and locks this into the missile which flies itself all the way to the target. You'd want to take such a 2.5 kilometer system to combat, like the 101st Air Assault Division has ringing the air base at Kandahar, right?

Not if the missile is 47 inches long and 35 pounds and cannot fit inside a Dragon missile jump pack! If the CLU is placed in the rucksack, you've lost all the main compartment's internal volume. There is an approved A-7A strap 2 and 4 Javelin missile door bundle, but what do you do after the jump with all the expensive 3/4 inch plywood, cargo parachute and A-7A straps? So units rather than throw money away on door bundles don't use them. This is how Javelin gunners jump in training without their primary combat weapon system..and mortar teams....and any unit that requires door bundles to accomplish its mission. The question is, will these men be ready when its time to jump into a desert area where enemy tank forces are likely to be engaged?

The solution is to insist that we train as we would fight and insure the Javelin and other door bundle loads get to the drop zone and their air items recovered to be reused to save money---by MAKING THE DOOR BUNDLE MOBILE.

Enter the SKEDCO...

The Army standard full-size [NSN 6530-01-260-1222] and half-size [NSN pending] SKEDCO medical evacuation plastic litter can be strapped to the outside of rigged door bundles like a casualty---resulting in no change in the way they are rigged. The door bundle is pushed out the door and lowers to the ground by parachute. When Soldiers find the bundle, they remove the parachute but instead of de-rigging it in an open danger area vulnerable to enemy fire, and its parts scattered to the wind, they turn it on its side so its resting on the SKEDCO plastic and they slide the door bundle off the drop zone to the designated collection point under at least concealing vegetation. SKEDCO sliding door bundle recovery also speeds clearing of the drop zone for follow-on drops and speeds the build-up of combat power on the ground.

Once at the collection point, the door bundle is de-rigged, its cargo parachute, plywood (can be spray painted to make impervious to getting wet during repeated use), honeycomb, A-7A straps etc. are turned in to Parachute Riggers for return back to the rear for re-use. The Soldiers take their Javelin missiles or other equipment/supplies and place them on the SKEDCO and drag them short distances away to their unit assembly area.

Use the Army's lightweight sleeping bag... To make space for the Javelin CLU, the Army standard [NSN 8405-01-H77-9567] lightweight ECOTAT sleeping bag (LWSB) is used in the ALICE rucksack. The CLU, wrapped in padding is placed in the center bottom of the ruck so the LWSB and other clothing items impact the ground after the Paratrooper lowers them on the HPT lowering line.

The addition of SKEDCO litters and LWSBs can enable the Airborne to vigorously use the door bundle loads it needs in combat in training without high costs, achieving the goal of training as we would fight.

NOTES

1. SKEDCO

POB 230487
Portland, Oregon 97281
(503) 639-2119
FAX: 4538
1-800-770-SKED
www.skedco.com

2. LWSB

Ecotat Systems Company
(Attn: Mr. Haislip)
2200 Commerce Parkway
Virginia Beach, VA 23454
Phone # (804) 340-0866
Fax # (804) 340-1270

FEEDBACK!

itsg@hotmail.com">itsg@hotmail.com

"Mr. Sparks,
Thank you for your ideas and your interest in national defense. I can tell you as the combat developer working airdrop issues that you have identified several of the deficiencies and materiel recommendations which are currently being corrected. We have been working requirements and solutions for platform systems that are easily drop zone recoverable by fork lift or sling load. We have tested PLS rack airdrop and maintain that as a feasible option. Discussion is also underway to update the Airborne MHE package. Once again appreciate your ideas.