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In aerospace operations, efficiency is the most important aspect. Aerospace ground equipment (AGE) must be moved quickly and
accurately, which can affect mission completion. Some of the items moved includes aircraft stands, servicing carts, and heavy generators weighing thousands of pounds. The project, started by the 86th Maintenance Group, in collaboration with the Ramstein
Hercules Innovation Lab, has the potential for equipment to be moved and controlled in a new way along the flightline.
Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) tires has the ability to give relief to aircraft and equipment maintainers across the Air Force moving AGE around the flight line efficiently while also reducing strain on personnel. By improving mobility and requiring less effort to transport heavy equipment, these tires will streamline operations and enhance overall productivity. This initiative aims to revolutionize the way the Air Force handles logistics, making ground operations smoother, more efficient, and less physically demanding for Airmen.
Currently, it takes up to 250 pounds of lateral force to move this kind of equipment just one inch and the task is usually done by at least two people. It’s a big problem when one Airman must take care of everything physically alone because of time sensitive aircraft launch sequence of events.
“In addition to increasing the possibility of delays, the maintainers have to move AGE equipment under a lot of stress in a short amount of time,” said Master Sgt. Robert Paradis, 86th Maintenance Group superintendent of innovation and programs, “This quickly tires the Airmen and puts the mission at risk. The solution is the Low Rollers project, or low rolling resistance tires.”
Controlled tests have indicated LRR tires make moving AGE equipment 50% easier, which means one person can do the job safely instead of two. The idea is revolutionary in fast-paced situations, like wartime or operations in areas where Airmen
are often overloaded.
“LRR tires not only make it easier for AGE to move, but they also make vehicles more fuel-efficient and economical,” said Paradis. “The tires [that] help vehicles towing the equipment use 10% less fuel because they will have less towing resistance. Less fuel used will enhance unit budget efficiency, in the long run extend sustainability goals, and is in line with current policy.”
Traditional air-filled tires can be hard to keep up with, but LRR tires and hub assemblies removes the requirement to maintain pneumatic servicing upkeep and eliminates the possibility of an inconvenient flat tire. The simple design of this integration makes sure normal operations are interrupted as little as possible. It also keeps maintenance focused on their mission.
One of the teams next big goals is to get engineering permission to allow LRR tires to be a suitable substitute on the current AGE carts. The team is pushing for the DoD to use LRR tires with the help of Robins Air Force Base Equipment System Process Office
and tips from experts in the field. The clear benefits are ease of movement for maintainers, less downtime, an extended life cycle for LRR tires contributing to lower total operating costs.
| Date Taken: | 04.01.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 04.22.2025 08:55 |
| Story ID: | 495838 |
| Location: | RAMSTEIN-MIESENBACH, RHEINLAND-PFALZ, DE |
| Web Views: | 7 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Revolutionizing Air Force Logistics: The Low Rollers Project Enhances Efficiency and Reduces Strain with Low Rolling Resistance Tires, by SrA Olivia Sampson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
