The Army’s Parachute Team (USAPT), the Golden Knights, made their first jumps from a new Twin Otter aircraft procured by the Fixed Wing Project Office.
The Golden Knights jumped Feb. 20 at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida where the team conducts winter training.
The elite parachuting team accepted the first of three new aircraft from the Fixed Wing Project Office approximately two weeks earlier.
The new aircraft, officially on the Army books as a UV-18C, is a Twin Otter Series 400 made by Viking Air Limited headquartered in British Columbia, Canada.
The aircraft was modified by Ikhana Aircraft Services in Murietta, Calif., to support paratroop jumping. The modifications include replacing the 21 commuter passenger seats with sidewall hammock-style seating to accommodate 16 Army parachutists.
Fixed Wing Project Manager Col. Brian Tachias said cost avoidance to the Army and improved safety for the Golden Knights were two critical factors driving the purchase of the aircraft.
“When we can save money in terms of the increased maintenance required of older aircraft and provide a better, more reliable and safer platform to work from, in this case the Golden Knights’ new Twin Otter, then we’re doing our jobs,” Tachias said. “As aircraft age, the cost of keeping them in the air can be much higher than replacing them with current technology.”
New, updated aircraft with modern instrumentation and flight control systems directly results in improved safety and enhanced performance capabilities, a project office statement said.
Tachias said, “Most importantly, these companies share our commitment to provide and maintain a high quality, cost-efficient product for the United States Army.”
The Army has achieved significant cost savings and cost avoidance as a result of the continuous implementation of Better Buying Power (BBP), an initiative led by the Office of the Secretary of Defense aimed at improving the management of acquisition programs. The daily practice of BBP into Fixed Wing program management has helped to eliminate redundancies and optimized the Army’s investment dollars, he added.
“I’m extremely proud of what the team in the Fixed Wing Project Office has accomplished since it was officially stood up,” said Program Executive Officer for Aviation Maj. Gen. Tim Crosby. “Their hard work in consolidating all of the Army’s fixed wing assets under the life cycle management of one office has ensured that we have complete accountability for the airworthiness and the safety of our men and women in uniform.”
The Army created the Fixed Wing Project Office on Redstone Arsenal in Oct. 28, 2011, as part of PEO-Aviation (Defense Daily, April 10). It handles the life cycle of the Army’s fleet of fixed wing aircraft that are used for surveillance, VIP transport, cargo and other duties. Among the aircraft are the Hawker Beech King Air C-12/RC-12, the C-23 Sherpa, the C-26 Metro-liner, EO-5 De Havilland DHC-7 and the C-37 Gulfstream [GD] V/550 jet.
The UV-18C is an updated version of the UV-18A that the team has been using for its skydiving events and competitions.
One of the advantages the UV-18C has over the UV-18A is that the cockpit is more open allowing pilots to see and assess in-air situations much better. In a recent interview, Col. Mark Rado, commander of the Army Accessions Support Brigade, Army Marketing and Research Group, of which the Golden Knights are part, said the new aircraft improves safety for Golden Knights team members. “I want my soldiers to be safe,” he said. “We operate in a risky arena. There is no question about it–flying, skydiving–there is risk involved in what we do. Every opportunity where we can mitigate the risks is paramount.”
The role of the Golden Knights, as part of the overall objective of the Army Accessions Support Brigade, is to “connect America’s people with America’s Army.”
The last two new Twin Otters procured by the Fixed Wing Project Office are currently undergoing modifications and are scheduled for delivery to the Golden Knights at Fort Bragg, N.C., in late summer.