Photo By Airman Samantha Rossi | U.S. Airmen assigned to the 4th Special Operations Maintenance Squadron prepare an...... read more read more
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HURLURT FIELD, Fla. – The Next Generation Aircrew Protection team performed innovative vapor purge testing on an AC-130J Ghostrider gunship at Hurlburt Field, Florida, from June 24 to December 6, 2024.
The NGAP team’s mission is to evaluate how well standard aircraft systems protect aircrews from chemical vapor attacks, identify when it’s safe to remove Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear gear; and determine how quickly aircraft can purge harmful chemical vapors.
“With the evolving and ever-changing war environment, testing how quickly vapor can be purged from an aircraft, and how protective non-CBRN equipment can be is a key asset to every element of the Department of Defense,” said Justin Spurling, an NGAP test engineer “This includes our special operators.”
The NGAP team worked with the gunship aircrew to study the chemical environment inside the aircraft during a simulated chemical vapor attack and measure the time it takes for the aircraft to purge the hazardous chemicals while flying.
NGAP has primarily tested fighter and bomber aircraft but the AC-130J marked a new direction, leading the way for future testing on mobility aircraft.
“Air Force Special Operations Command is known for being the first to jump at innovative tactics, and working with the NGAP team was no exception,” noted Lt. Michael Rossi, Lead Joint CBRN Aircrew Protection Engineer at the Air Force CBRN Defense Systems Branch. “This directly contributes to development of next-generation equipment and feeds into new concepts of legacy equipment.”
The test begins with a pre-flight spray, followed by the installation of sensors and NGAP team members inside the aircraft to monitor the simulant vapor levels. Once a target concentration is reached the aircraft takes off and sensors continue collecting data as the simulant is purged during flight.
After the test, the data is published in a report uploaded to the Defense Technical Information Center where it informs the development of CBRN protective gear and aircrew guidelines across the Department of Defense.
“Without this information, we would have to rely on older assumptions that aren’t representative of what the threat is today,” Rossi stated. “This information is helpful to AFSOC because it helps accurately plan for their CBRN operations.”
Understanding how quickly Airmen can safely remove chemical protective gear during a chemical attack reduces the burden on both the equipment and the aircrew, allowing them to focus on the mission, explained Spurling.
“Seeing what wide-reaching effects a test like this has is the most rewarding part for me,” Rossi explained. “This is going to make our aircrew more effective in flight while maintaining their safety.”
| Date Taken: | 12.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.13.2024 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 487319 |
| Location: | HURLBURT FIELD, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 64 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
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