Aviation Maintenance / By Mr. Sammy Burns: While Soldiers are the forefront of the readiness equation, the Army remains reliant on external support to meet the high OPTEMPO inherent to aviation. The AMCOM Logistic Center’s (ALC) Aviation Field Maintenance Directorate (AFMD) enhances the Army’s Aviation maintenance support capabilities and aircraft readiness worldwide. As one of AMCOM’s key enablers to the field, AFMD provides augmentation to help meet requirements and continuously adapts to support dynamic global maintenance needs.
A UH-60 covered at Dobbins AFB, GA. AMCOM employees provide a wide range of support, including deployment/redeployment, phase maintenance, transport, and other tasks to supported units. / U.S. ARMY PHOTOS BY MR CLIFF MEAD, AMCOM LOGISTICS CENTER
AFMD provides aviation maintenance support for active component combat aviation brigades (CAB), separate battalions, detachments, National Guard/Reserve aviation units, aircraft program managers, foreign military sales (FMS), and other customers through a maintenance contract that offers flexibility and standardization. While contractors perform maintenance in the field, the Aviation Field Maintenance Directorate, headquartered at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, manages the workload to ensure efficiency, regulatory compliance, proper obligations, and that customer requirements are satisfied.
The volatility and fluid nature of today’s environment requires timely and quality execution to be effective. Aviation field maintenance professionals are located at AFMD’s Aviation Field Maintenance Activities (AFMAs), or Logistics Readiness Centers-Aviation (LRC-Aviation), and other locations worldwide. They are ready to provide solutions, meet maintenance requirements, and support deployment as well as other mission requirements.
AMCOM Logistics Readiness Centers provide capability to maintain all Army mission design series aircraft.
AFMD provides a full spectrum of quality aircraft maintenance, repair and modification work, and other aviation logistical support capabilities utilizing an enterprise wide management approach for customers. Support services include unit pass back support (scheduled and unscheduled), back shops support, aircraft recovery, port operations, aircraft modifications, as well as aircraft Reset and Airframe Inspection Maintenance and Sustainment (AIMS). Contract maintainers work in conjunction with Soldier maintainers and often handle maintenance or repairs that exceed unit capabilities or timelines.
AFMD is proud of its past accomplishments and excited about the future. With more than 10 years of experience, AFMD has refined its capabilities to minimize cost and ensure quality and standardization. In the past year AFMD assumed support responsibilities at the National Training Center, the Military District of Washington, Yakima Training Center, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and will soon pick-up the Western ARNG Aviation Training Site (WAATS), the U.S. Military Academy, and Kwajalein Atoll. In FY17, AFMD will execute a new maintenance contract to better address future mission requirements and allow for even greater flexibility.
The Army’s aviation maintenance requirements will continue to be dynamic and fluid and AFMD’s goal is to remain the provider of choice for unit support by continuing to provide timely, quality, and cost effective support solutions.
Mr. Sammy Burns is the associate director for Aviation and Maintenance in the Field Support Directorate, AMCOM Logistics Center, Redstone Arsenal, AL.
