Supporting the First Stryker Brigade in Iraq - Army Logistics ...

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A UH–60L Black Hawk helicopter equipped with
the new IMD HUMS sits on display at the Pentagon
in August.
DATA RECORDING WILL EXTEND
LIFESPAN OF HELICOPTER COMPONENTS
New technology being installed on UH–60L
Black Hawk helicopters records preventive maintenance
information that will help extend the lifespan
of helicopter components.
The Integrated Mechanical Diagnostic Device
Health Usage Monitoring System (IMD HUMS)
collects and processes data on the aircraft’s critical
mechanical systems and components. Use of IMD
HUMS will base replacement of components on real
measurements taken in combat rather than at the end
of their projected lifespan, which will reduce
significantly the cost of parts and in-theater maintenance
manpower.
“This is the first system that recognizes regime
profiles, which allows us to extend component
lives,” said Colonel Cory Mahanna, Project Manager
for Utility Helicopters. “The system monitors in
real time what the aircraft does.”
Information on restrictions, inefficiencies,
inspections, and service schedules of an aircraft is
collected by the IMD HUMS and stored on a data
card. The data can be downloaded onto a battalion’s
intranet so the status of all of its aircraft can be monitored
by maintenance officers, pilots, commanders,
and safety and standards officers. In remote locations
that do not have intranet access, the IMD
HUMS can be downloaded onto a standalone computer.
To meet flight safety objectives, the system
also directs signals and data to cockpit voice
and flight data recorders.
The cost of IMD HUMS installation is
$150,000 per helicopter. Congress has allocated
$56 million through 2005 for the project.
NEW ENVIRONMENTAL STRATEGY
IS BASED ON SUSTAINABILITY
The Army has revised its basic strategy for
managing the environmental concerns that
affect its missions. The new strategy—the
first revision of fundamental Army thinking
on the environment in 12 years—is called
“The Army Strategy for the Environment:
Sustain the Mission—Secure the Future” and
was approved by the Secretary of the Army
and the Chief of Staff of the Army in October.
The strategy is based on the principle of sustainability,
which, in an Army context, means fostering a
recognition of the interrelationships among the
Army’s missions, the natural environment in which
the Army trains and operates, and the communities
that are affected by Army activities. It “applies a
community, regional, and ecosystem approach to
managing natural resources on [Army] installations.”
The strategy has six goals—
• Foster an ethic within the Army that moves beyond
complying with environmental laws and
regulations to incorporating sustainability “into all
functional areas.”
• Strengthen Army operations “by reducing [the
Army’s] environmental footprint through more sustainable
practices.” For example, zero emissions of
heat, light, noise, and waste, while improving environmental
quality, also will “reduce the [Army’s]
operational signature, environmental footprint, and
logistical support tail.”
• “Meet current and future training, testing, and
other mission requirements by sustaining land, air, and
water resources.” As one example, the “Army will
sustain its ranges . . . to maintain [their] resiliency . . .
[and] protect the environment and . . . surrounding
communities from impacts of training and testing.”
• “Minimize impacts and total ownership costs
of Army systems, materiel, facilities, and operations
by integrating the principles and practices of
sustainability.”
• Enhance the health, safety, and well-being of
soldiers, Army civilians and families, and installation
neighbors.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2005