Photo By Staff Sgt. John Todd | An Apache helicopter hovers over ground during Operation Eminent Strike at Katterbach...... read more read more
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GRAFENWOEHR, Germany – 1st Battalion, 3rd Aviation Regiment, 12th Combat Aviation Brigade’s Apache Helicopter mechanics are showing just how technically resilient they are during Operation Eminent Strike.
Fourteen AH-64 Attack Helicopters (also known as the Apache Guardian, because of its lethality during combat missions) were deployed in support of Operation Eminent Strike at Katterbach Army Airfield, Germany March 17.
The operation was constructed to test the capability of the 14 aircraft to conduct a simulated deliberate attack within a local training area.
“The purpose of this deliberate attack is to simulate an attack on a logistics site that an enemy could be using to conduct refit operations,” said 1st Lt. Stefan Schutlz, assigned to 12th CAB, and a member of Operation Eminent Strike planning team. “This translates into a real-world application in that it puts stress on the participating company’s where they have to respond to a short-planned timeline.”
The operation placed stress on all personnel, as it was designed with an intended limited timeline. This trickled down to everyone, including the maintenance company. The result was to be able to deploy and achieve an assault on the intended target.
“Maintenance is extremely important to our job,” said 1st Lt. Summer Lancette, Apache helicopter pilot, assigned to 12th CAB. “Getting the aircraft mission-capable enables us to get the mission done.”
For any event, the mechanics go through inspections of the aircraft, which can require routine maintenance.
Typically, inspections are conducted after 125, 250 and 500 hours of usage. When it is time for a aircraft’s 500-hour inspection, a complete tear down of the aircraft is conducted to ensure each component is functional.
A “complete” tear down can take from 28 - 45 days, to ensure that the aircraft is taken apart and put back together correctly.
“Inspections go hourly for certain components, certain parts, to make sure the aircraft will continue flying,” said Spc. Luis Medrano, an AH-64 repairer assigned to 12th CAB. “There are components that have mandatory inspections and can’t be reused unless they have been inspected.”
Above all else, the safety of the aircrews is paramount to the maintainers.
When it comes to safety, the planning team incorporates safety in each phase of the planning stage, especially with respect to maintenance, said Schultz.
“Serious Injuries could occur where somebody could die,” said Medrano. “It's our responsibility to make sure everybody comes out safe at the end.”
“The maintainers have been working to prepare for this,” said Schultz. “The team has been working at the minimum for the past two weeks, ensuring that they can get as many aircraft as possible ready for the operation.”
As an integral component of the operation, maintenance personnel ensure each member has the necessary training, which strengthens their trust in each other, and by extension strengthens the team. That trust ensures efficiency, as it is transferred from the team to the aircraft they work on.
“For me, seeing these aircraft fly, they're beautiful and great,” said Medrano. “If we let them stay on the ground, they tend to break; When we let them fly, they always fly.”
| Date Taken: | 03.17.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 03.22.2021 17:49 |
| Story ID: | 391972 |
| Location: | ANSBACH, BAYERN, DE |
| Web Views: | 581 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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