NASHVILLE, Tenn.––Part of the work of the Army’s new Fixed Wing Aircraft office is divesting the fleet of C-23 Sherpa cargo aircraft that provided intra theater personnel and cargo lift during the Iraq war, a service officer said.
The Sherpa was built by Bombardier’s Short Brothers unit in Northern Ireland.
“We’re still divesting them. We retired 34 last year. We’ll do seven this year, and between now and the beginning of FY ’15 we’ll divest the rest of the 38,” said Col. Brian Tachias, project manager, Fixed Wing Aircraft.
The Fixed Wing Aircraft office was created Oct. 28, 2011, taking the lead on all service fixed wing aircraft, some 366 planes, which have been managed through various support agencies. Then-Army Vice Chief of Staff, Gen. Peter Chiarelli directed management consolidation for efficiencies after a portfolio review made it clear to him the fixed wing fleet needed central management.
Two of the workhorse Sherpa aircraft are still deployed in the Sinai, Tachias said during a media briefing at the Army Aviation Association of America professional forum and exhibition.
The Fixed Wing Aircraft office also managed the C-23 replacement, the C-27J Spartan, until it was transferred in 2009 to the Air Force, which now also is divesting the aircraft. The C-27J is built by Finmeccanica’s Alenia.
The Army still has an intra-theater lift requirement that the Air Force now says will be filled by the C-130 aircraft.
Tachias noted fixed wing aircraft are found all over the Army, from the Army Corps of Engineers to West Point.
Additionally, the Golden Knights parachute team has three Twin Otter aircraft. They are in the procurement phase for new build Twin Otters for delivery in the third quarter of this year. Twin Otters are produced built by de Havilland Canada.
Replacement is also on tap for the Army Test and Evaluation command, which has a Hawker Beechcraft T-34 aircraft. The Navy and Air Force used the T-34 as a trainer, and are now both working together looking at a T-6 for training. The Army would like to capitalize on this work.
The Fixed Wing Aircraft office has been looking at airworthiness–aircraft suitable for safe flight–and since its October start-up has done about 111 air worthiness releases, making sure the aircraft are complying. The office is also looking at configuration management, eyeing one system, not many, which also plays into keeping pilots safe.
As the office comes together, more people are being added to keep up with the duties.
Tachias said the biggest program coming up is to replace all 117 C-12 aircraft. First entering service in the mid-1980s, the aircraft is used by the Army for a variety of missions including intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance.
“We’re looking at a Future Fixed Wing Utility Aircraft,” Tachias said. The requirements document is in the Pentagon and, once approved, it’s the first step toward an Analysis of Alternatives, and moving forward with the program.
The office has also begun some cost-saving initiatives, some of which come from rolling many organizations managing aircraft into one organization, he said.
Since all Army fixed wing aircraft are supported by contractor logistics, the office has the ability to manage a large fleet and can potentially benefit by the economy of scale by potentially consolidating contracts.
Some analysis shows “easily 10-15 percent cost savings” by managing fixed wing aircraft under one office, he said.
The office recently created a Foreign Military Sales cell, and is looking at potential cases in the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, and Egypt.