[House Hearing, 115 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.A.S.C. No. 115-120]
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO C-130
MISHAPS AND OTHER INTRA-THEATER
AIRLIFT CHALLENGES
__________
HEARING
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND PROJECTION FORCES
OF THE
COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
HEARING HELD
SEPTEMBER 28, 2018
[GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
___________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
33-476 WASHINGTON : 2019
SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND PROJECTION FORCES
ROBERT J. WITTMAN, Virginia, Chairman
K. MICHAEL CONAWAY, Texas JOE COURTNEY, Connecticut
VICKY HARTZLER, Missouri SUSAN A. DAVIS, California
BRADLEY BYRNE, Alabama, Vice Chair JAMES R. LANGEVIN, Rhode Island
SCOTT DesJARLAIS, Tennessee MADELEINE Z. BORDALLO, Guam
MIKE GALLAGHER, Wisconsin JOHN GARAMENDI, California
PAUL COOK, California DONALD NORCROSS, New Jersey
STEPHEN KNIGHT, California SETH MOULTON, Massachusetts
RALPH LEE ABRAHAM, Louisiana COLLEEN HANABUSA, Hawaii
PAUL MITCHELL, Michigan A. DONALD McEACHIN, Virginia
(Vacancy)
Bruce Johnson, Professional Staff Member
Phil MacNaughton, Professional Staff Member
Megan Handal, Clerk
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
STATEMENTS PRESENTED BY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Courtney, Hon. Joe, a Representative from Connecticut, Ranking
Member, Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces......... 2
Wittman, Hon. Robert J., a Representative from Virginia,
Chairman, Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces....... 1
WITNESSES
Conn, RADM Scott D., USN, Director, Air Warfare, Office of the
Chief of Naval Operations, Department of the Navy.............. 5
Harris, Lt Gen Jerry D., Jr., USAF, Deputy Chief of Staff for
Strategic Plans and Programs, Department of the Air Force...... 3
Kirkland, Lt Gen Donald E., USAF, Commander, Air Force
Sustainment Center, Department of the Air Force................ 4
APPENDIX
Prepared Statements:
Conn, RADM Scott D........................................... 43
Harris, Lt Gen Jerry D., Jr.................................. 25
Kirkland, Lt Gen Donald E.................................... 33
Wittman, Hon. Robert J....................................... 23
Documents Submitted for the Record:
[There were no Documents submitted.]
Witness Responses to Questions Asked During the Hearing:
[There were no Questions submitted during the hearing.]
Questions Submitted by Members Post Hearing:
Mr. Courtney................................................. 53
CONTRIBUTING FACTORS TO C-130 MISHAPS AND OTHER INTRA-THEATER AIRLIFT
CHALLENGES
----------
House of Representatives,
Committee on Armed Services,
Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces,
Washington, DC, Friday, September 28, 2018.
The subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 9:02 a.m., in
Room HVC-210, Capitol Visitor Center, Hon. Robert J. Wittman
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. ROBERT J. WITTMAN, A REPRESENTATIVE
FROM VIRGINIA, CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND
PROJECTION FORCES
Mr. Wittman. We will call to order the House Armed Services
Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. And today, the
subcommittee convenes to receive testimony on contributing
factors to C-130 mishaps and other intra-theater airlift
challenges.
The distinguished panel of Air Force and Navy leaders
testifying before us today are Lieutenant General Jerry D.
Harris, Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Plans and Programs,
Department of the Air Force; and Lieutenant General Donald
Kirkland, Commander, Air Force Sustainment Center, Department
of Air Force; and Rear Admiral Scott D. Conn, Director, Air
Warfare, Office of Chief of Naval Operations, Department of the
Navy.
Gentlemen, thank you so much for being here with us today.
We deeply appreciate your time and your viewpoints.
Recently, there have been an alarming rise in noncombat
aviation accidents. From fiscal year 2013 to 2017, manned
fighter, bomber, helicopter, and cargo warplane accidents rose
nearly 40 percent, resulting in the loss of life of over 130
service members in aviation mishaps.
Of these incidents, over 20 percent of fatalities occurred
in three accidents involving legacy intra-theater aircraft C-
130H Hercules, KC-130T, and C-2A Greyhound aircraft operated by
the Puerto Rican Air National Guard [PRANG], U.S. Marine Corps
Reserve, and Navy Active Duty, respectively.
Considering these three mishaps involve legacy intra-
theater aircraft, it is my fervent belief that the services
must do everything possible to ensure the safety of flight. To
this end, among the things this committee must consider is the
recapitalization and modernization of the oldest and most
vulnerable legacy aircraft.
A review of the Air Force's intra-theater airlift portfolio
shows that the service is on track to recapitalize its Regular
Component units with C-130J aircraft. The Air Force is now
recommending that the Reserve and Air National Guard retain
significant capacity in the legacy C-130H aircraft.
To extend the life and relevance of the legacy Guard and
Reserve fleet, the Air Force is recommending funding for major
modernization programs, such as center wing box replacement, to
lengthen service life in addition to pursuing aviation
modernization program upgrades to keep these aging aircraft
relevant.
This committee has been active in supporting propulsion
system upgrades for legacy C-130 aircraft in the Reserve
Component by authorizing additional funds for this important
effort. To date, the Air Force has not requested this funding
in its base budget.
Our review of Marine intra-theater aircraft shows that the
service is also on track to fully recapitalize its aging KC-
130T fleet with 79 new KC-130J aircraft, to include its Reserve
squadrons, to be completed by 2023.
And finally, the Navy begins to recapitalize its legacy K-
130T fleet of 25 aircraft by procuring its first 3 new aircraft
in 2023. With that said, questions remain as to the level of
effort being placed in the pursuit of this program by the Navy
and Air Force Reserve sponsors as they seek to balance the
needs of competing service priorities.
Additionally, there is concern over how the services
respond--or responded to the crash of the KC-130T and PRANG C-
130H, with Navy and Marines grounding their fleets and Air
Force choosing to continue to fly those aircraft.
And more specifically, this committee is interesting in
learning how and why the legacy C-130 propeller systems are
serviced differently between the Marine Corps and Air National
Guard aircraft at the depots.
George Patton once said, ``The more you sweat in peace, the
less you bleed in war.'' Our most urgent responsibility is to
ensure enough sweat is being shed to reduce this bleeding.
With that, I will go to our ranking member, Mr. Courtney,
for his opening remarks.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Wittman can be found in the
Appendix on page 23.]
STATEMENT OF HON. JOE COURTNEY, A REPRESENTATIVE FROM
CONNECTICUT, RANKING MEMBER, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SEAPOWER AND
PROJECTION FORCES
Mr. Courtney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And thank you to the
witnesses for their testimony here today.
The Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee today meets
once again to consider a rash of tragic mishaps that have cost
the lives of many service members.
In 2017, we held a series of hearings and briefings to
consider the causes, consequences, and path forward following
four ship collisions and groundings alongside--groundings.
Alongside our partners on the Readiness Subcommittee, we
conducted frequent oversight of this issue and also guided
through a number of reforms in the NDAA [National Defense
Authorization Act] on surface ship procedure which, again, we
believe will reduce the amount of risk for these kinds of
events happening in the future.
As the chairman said, in the last year and a half,
unfortunately, we have also seen three fatal mishaps across our
Air National Guard, Marine Corps Reserve, and Navy air fleet.
Tragically, these incidents have taken the lives of 28 service
members. Once again, Congress and military services must come
together to assess the causes of these mishaps and to ensure
that the right focus is being applied in order to prevent
similar mishaps in the future.
As we have learned from the process of reviewing ship
collisions and groundings, a single mishap has immediate
causes, but a rash of mishaps derives from systemic issues
within the force. Fewer flying hours leads to less experienced
pilots who are more likely to make mistakes during stressful
situations; decreased material readiness of our fleet makes
mechanical failure--sometimes catastrophic--more likely.
As we review each individual tragedy, we must be focused
not only on what a mishap says about the individual case, but
what each mishap can tell us about the state of military
aviation overall.
While we are focused here today on the intra-theater
airlift fleet, I was glad to see that the full House and
Senate, under the leadership of Mr. Thornberry and Ranking
Member Smith, included a provision in the fiscal year 2019
National Defense Authorization Act which establishes a national
commission on military aviation safety.
This commission will review the rates of military aviation
mishaps across the services and across aviation missions,
assess the underlying causes of these mishaps, and make
recommendations to improve safety training and maintenance and
personnel policies.
I hope the testimony here today will help inform and guide
the work of this commission as it gets started on this
important mission.
I look forward to hearing the witnesses' views on these
issues today and yield back my time.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Courtney.
I will now turn to our witnesses for their opening
statements.
STATEMENT OF LT GEN JERRY D. HARRIS, JR., USAF, DEPUTY CHIEF OF
STAFF FOR STRATEGIC PLANS AND PROGRAMS, DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR
FORCE
General Harris. Thank you, Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member
Courtney, for the opportunity to appear before the HASC [House
Armed Services Committee] Subcommittee on Seapower and
Projection Forces.
On behalf of Secretary Wilson and Chief of Staff of the Air
Force General Goldfein, I would like to also commend you for
the fiscal year 2019 NDAA efforts. If the Congress and the
executive branch are able to continue on their current pace, we
expect to have a fiscal year 2019 budget on time. First time in
decades that's not starting a year with continuing resolution,
or worse, a sequester budget. And that's a favorable start for
fiscal year 2019. Well done and thank you.
As we review your draft legislation for the fiscal year
2019 NDAA, we all recognize the sacrifices that the American
families make to live and enjoy the freedoms in a safe and
secure democracy.
With committees like yours as our best supporters and
guarantors of that freedom, we recognize the importance of
hearings like today on C-130 modernization and safety.
Let me be the first to say that we would like to do more
and go faster when it comes to modernization of our C-130
fleet.
We have reduced most of our fleets over the last decade,
and the C-130 fleet has been no exception, falling from more
than 400 aircraft to about 300 in the Air Force inventory. The
C-130 continues to be a workhorse that accomplishes tactical
airlift, Antarctic resupply, aeromedical evacuation, natural
disaster relief missions, search and rescue, firefighting
duties, and support to special operations.
But we have had to make hard choices because of declining
budgets, late budgets of the past, sequestration, and new
strategies for changing threats.
During this period, we prioritized safety and then
compliance, when it comes to operating, maintaining, and
sustaining all of our capabilities. We just haven't been able
to get to it all.
Readiness, lethality, and cost-effective modernization
efforts have guided our plans as we continue to deliver the
world's greatest air and space force.
I request our written statements be entered into the
record, and I look forward to your questions and our ensuing
discussions. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of General Harris can be found in
the Appendix on page 25.]
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Lieutenant General.
Lieutenant General Kirkland.
STATEMENT OF LT GEN DONALD E. KIRKLAND, USAF, COMMANDER, AIR
FORCE SUSTAINMENT CENTER, DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
General Kirkland. Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member
Courtney, distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you
for the opportunity to update you on legacy C-130 sustainment
and readiness.
On behalf of our Secretary, the Honorable Heather Wilson,
and our Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein, I appreciate
your continued support and demonstrated commitment to our
airmen, Air Force civilians, our families, and veterans.
As I attest in my written statement for the record, the C-
130s are safe, effective aircraft for its missions, and we have
programs in place to ensure these conditions going forward. We
take our responsibilities for our people and our mission very
seriously.
Earlier this spring, General Goldfein directed all wing
commanders and operational maintenance leaders to conduct a
one-day operations safety review. Commanders focused on
assessing processes and looking for areas of improvement to
prevent future mishaps. Our service members and citizen airmen
are our greatest asset. We are absolutely committed to their
safety as we continue to deliver combat power to our combatant
commanders.
On the sustainment front, this year we began a
consolidation of all C-130 program depot maintenance workload
currently at the Ogden Air Logistics Complex in Utah to the
Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base,
Georgia. This transition will be completed by fiscal year 2022.
Because all three of our complexes operate as an
enterprise, our Air Force will be able to achieve efficiencies
and greater economies of scale.
Thank you, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of General Kirkland can be found in
the Appendix on page 33.]
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Lieutenant General Kirkland.
I will now go to Rear Admiral Conn.
STATEMENT OF RADM SCOTT D. CONN, USN, DIRECTOR, AIR WARFARE,
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS, DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
Admiral Conn. Chairman Wittman, Ranking Member Courtney,
and distinguished members of the subcommittee, thank you for
the opportunity to appear before you today and discuss the
Navy's intra-theater airlift plan.
The Navy provides continuous forward-deployed maritime
strike and expeditionary power projection force. Supporting
that force requires a unique logistics infrastructure.
Due to the distributed nature of naval operations,
logistics support includes inter-theater lift that bridges the
gap between the joint force provider of aerial ports of
debarkation to those fleet logistics sites around the globe. We
call this capability the Navy Unique Fleet Essential Airlift,
or NUFEA.
Operated entirely by the Navy Reserves, NUFEA consists of
24 C-140Ts, 15 C-40 aircraft, and provides the responsive,
flexible, and rapidly deployable air logistics to support
necessary combat operations from the sea.
The C-40A leads the NUFEA fleet in range and capacity, able
to carry in excess of 36,000 pounds, 121 personnel, or a
combination of both. And it is the only medium-lift aircraft
that's able to transport hazardous cargo and personnel at the
same time.
Thanks to congressional support, the Navy will now field
its last two program aircraft in fiscal year 2019, to complete
a program record of 17 aircraft.
The C-130T fills the NUFEA requirements for medium-lift and
outsized cargo. It is the only Navy aircraft capable of moving
all modules of the F-35 engine.
Additionally, the C-130T provides unique capability,
delivering passengers and cargo to austere locations, including
unprepared fields and runways less than 3,000 feet. And in
light of the landscape that we are in right now strategically,
that's probably an important capability that we need.
The Navy completed the procurement of the C-130Ts in 1996.
We are now looking to recapitalize our effort, beginning with
advanced procurement in 2019, buying three aircraft, as you
said, sir, in fiscal year 2023.
But it is not just recapitalizing. It is the modernization
of the aircraft; we have to keep them relevant.
In fiscal year--or PB [President's budget] 2019, there's
$28.5 million for avionics, communications, and obsolescence
upgrades to keep the aircraft compliant with FAA [Federal
Aviation Administration] and ICAO [International Civil Aviation
Organization] standards to able to--in the air traffic control
management systems across the world.
Additionally, of the $121 million that Congress adds for
the NP2000 props [propellers] to be able to--to get us out of
``Red Stripe'' as well as getting the--the new legacy blades
that we are getting from Warner Robins, in concert we will have
all the aircraft up by fiscal year 2019 and all the aircraft
converted to the NP2000 by fiscal year 2020.
That is--there was also $8.9 million to update the carbon
brakes that Congress gave us through NGREA [National Guard and
Reserve Equipment Appropriation] funds for our Reserves to
improve the reliability and maintainability of those aircraft.
These modernization efforts are critical to maintain the
Navy logistics support to our deployed forces. As I said, we
began advanced procurement in fiscal year 2019 to recapitalize
our KC-130Js, with three aircraft being bought in 2023.
If the budget changes, budget profiles changes in
subsequent budget cycles, we may have to revisit whether we
continue to recapitalize or modernize; based on those budget
levels, that decision will be made for--at a different time.
As people and parts arrive to our fleet logistics sites via
the NUFEA aircraft, they are transferred to one of our Navy's
34 C-2 aircraft, that completes that last tactical mile to get
those parts and people out to our carrier strike groups.
C-2A is over 30 years old. We have our maintenance material
condition challenges associated with that. We are addressing
those, but we are also looking to recapitalize that aircraft
for our CMV-22.
Initial plan was to sundown the C-2 in 2027. With the help
of Congress, with additional adds, we have been able to push
that left to fiscal year 2024. CMV-22 will IOC [intial
operating capability] in the Navy in 2021, and that is mapped
to our first F-35 deployment for those engine considerations,
and we will continue to transition to be transition-complete by
the end of fiscal year 2024.
Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member Courtney, distinguished
members, thank you for their--your leadership and the support
of this subcommittee to provide the resources that enable our
sailors to do their job. On behalf of the men and women working
tirelessly to protect American interests at home and abroad, I
thank you for the opportunity to discuss Navy inter-theater
lift plans, and I look forward to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Admiral Conn can be found in the
Appendix on page 43.]
Mr. Wittman. Rear Admiral Conn, thank you. Thanks so much
for your comments on the Navy's efforts there with KC-130T.
Lieutenant General Kirkland, I want to start with you. It
is my understanding that the KC-130T, the Navy version, and the
C-130H, Air Force, both have their propulsion system as well as
other depot-level maintenance done at Warner Robins Air
Logistics Center.
I do understand that both the Navy and the Air Force have
taken a different approach to propeller assemblies, so I wanted
to--to dig down a little bit into that, and could you explain
to me what steps have been taken to consolidate those efforts,
and what we are doing to upgrade propeller assemblies?
And has the Air Force and Navy response or their efforts in
addressing propeller assemblies, has that led to a difference
in how they responded to these recent accidents? And what do
you think is the outcome of where we are now with the safety of
those aircraft, based on this depot-level maintenance?
General Kirkland. Chairman Wittman, thank you for that
question. I will address both those in turn.
Sir, you are aware that the--Warner Robins Air Logistics
Complex it is a single, complete, overall facility for all 54
H-60 four-bladed propellers. That's the one used on the Air
Force C-130H and its variants, Navy, Marine Corps, C-130T, KC-
130T aircraft, and a slightly different version of the
propeller is used on the Navy's P-3.
The differences in the manuals evolved due to incorporation
of changes. These updates to technical manuals occur
frequently. Their purpose is to correct errors or include
process improvements that we have learned or identified during
maintenance.
And although the Warner Robins technicians were trained on
all manuals, and although there was collaboration and
coordination between Navy and Air Force C-130 program offices,
there was no formal effort to ensure respective changes were
synchronized between the two services in their manuals.
Last fall, our Air Force program executive officer
responsible for the C-130 formed an independent review team
[IRT]. The IRT was formed to guide development of updated
propeller overhaul requirements. The IRT consisted of members
from the Air Force, the Navy, Marine Corps, and members of the
aerospace industry.
Additionally, the U.S. Navy Propeller Program embedded an
engineer within the Air Force C-130 program office. Based on
IRT recommendations, both services' program offices are
updating propeller overhaul processes to create a common set of
procedures. Overhaul processes updates are complete for all
components except for the propeller blade.
Using these updated procedures, Warner Robins began buildup
and delivery of the 54 H-60 propellers in March 2018 in support
of naval aircraft. These propellers are assembled using new
production blades procured from the original equipment
manufacturer, who is currently increasing delivery from 30 a
month to 48 a month, we believe by October.
Procedures for propeller blade overhaul continue to be
updated and refined. Initial validation efforts, which started
last April, should conclude this fall, and we expect that
Warner Robins depot will reach full production capacity in
early 2019.
I would add the Coast Guard is participating in these same
efforts and will incorporate those changes in their manuals,
and we will also distribute this to partner nations through
country-specific technical orders.
With respect to the response, Chairman Wittman, I would
focus--it is my understanding the focus was more on the
operational impacts that--the differences.
The fleet sizes had something to do with that, but our
program office--it is my understanding that our program office
made a value determination based upon the severity of the risk
against the probability of occurring, and arrived at a serious
risk, and accepted that risk so that the U.S. Air Force may
continue to provide the tactical lift that the C-130 provides.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Lieutenant General Kirkland.
Lieutenant General Harris, I wanted to ask and dig down a
little bit deeper on what is happening with some of the
upgrades. You know, since 2014, Congress has put additional
dollars in over and above the base budget for C-130H propulsion
system upgrades, and that includes the T56 3.5 engine upgrade
program, the NP2000 eight-blade propellers.
Looking at that, if you look at where it is been applied,
the Wyoming Air National Guard has put those upgrades in place
and they have seen a 14 percent increase in fuel efficiency and
performance increases. And I know currently, the Air National
Guard is testing this engine enhancement and propeller upgrade
package to see if they can bring additional operational
sustainment benefits.
Give me your perspectives. Does the Air Force support these
engine and propeller upgrades? And if so, why hasn't the Air
Force requested these funds for upgrade kits for the Air
National Guard and the Air Force Reserve C-130H fleets? And is
there a possibility for the Air Force to prioritize
modernization efforts for the C-130H fleet, given its current
age and material condition state?
General Harris. Chairman, sir, thank you for those
questions.
Yes, the Air Force is prioritizing the upgrade of this
fleet, but the average C-130 age is 26 years old, and when we
look across our fleets, we have got tankers that are pushing
50. We have bombers that are over that age. So as we do a
priority across our budget, we have to look at all of the
fleets that we operate, and the capability associated with
that.
For the congressional adds, we thank you for that. It is
giving us an opportunity to study and look at efficiencies and
improvements that we can bring into the legacy fleet. We have
an ongoing operational utility evaluation that should report
out in March of this year to give us the--the information we
need to make those decisions.
When it comes to submitting it in a budget as a budget
request, our process working through OSD [Office of the
Secretary of Defense] and then through the OMB [Office of
Management and Budget] effort, we are limited on topline total
and I can't ask for everything. So we prioritize across there.
We do start with safety first, and then we move through
compliance, and our efforts across all of those fleets. And
once we have our--the operational utility evaluation out in
March, we will have better understanding in how this plays.
We are seeing improvements, as we have said--as you said,
sir, the Wyoming Guard unit is seeing an ability to get better
efficiencies out of the aircraft, which is certainly something
that warrants do them across our fleet.
Mr. Wittman. Very good. Thanks, Lieutenant General Harris.
We will now go to our ranking member, Mr. Courtney.
Mr. Courtney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Just really, one quick question to Admiral Conn. Again, you
described the replacement program for the C-2 planes. And
again, just for the benefit of people who may be watching this
and don't know, maybe, some of the acronyms.
Again, those are the prop planes that, again, deliver
people and cargo to aircraft carriers and land with a tailhook.
And then, they are going to be replaced by the MV, CV-22
Ospreys, which, again, will land vertically. Is that correct?
Admiral Conn. Yes, sir, it is.
Mr. Courtney. Okay. Thank you.
So, again, the plan that you described, you know, clearly
the Navy's trying to accelerate that replacement process. These
are still extremely old planes, as you and I discussed the
other day, the C-2s.
I mean, what I heard from your description is, it is still
about a 5-year window, right? For total replacement by 2024, is
that?
Admiral Conn. That is correct, sir.
Mr. Courtney. Right now. I mean, do you still feel like
that's the right plan, given the age of those planes? And you
know, obviously you can't spin straw into gold.
But I mean, really, this is your opportunity, if you feel
that, you know, that there's a--that that should be something
we should be looking at in terms of trying to accelerate it
further, you know. I just want to yield the floor to you to
talk about that.
Admiral Conn. Yes, sir.
First of all, the C-2 is a cargo aircraft, propeller with
an arresting gear that catapults and arrests for landing off
the carrier. It is the primary means by which we get cargo
airborne, via airlift, out to the carrier--or people, or U.S.
mail, to keep our sailors--although, there is the internet now.
But the--it is a 30-year-old airplane. We have gone from 32
percent mission-capable rate in 2017, to a 40 percent in 2018.
So the trajectory's in the right directions, but it is nowhere
near where we want it to be.
And we are going to continue to make those investments to
make sure those aircraft are safe to get airborne until the end
of its service life. I have to fully fund that aircraft until I
am completely done with it.
The transition plan is the CMV-22, which is the--it is just
a modified version of what the Marine Corps flies, but with
more fuel and a different com [communications] architecture for
blind--beyond-line-of-sight communications.
The range, endurance of the CMV-22 exceeds that of the COD
[carrier onboard delivery] when you consider a hot tropical
day, fully loaded with 10,000 pounds of cargo, being able to
fly in excess of 1,100 miles, which meets our requirements for
combat operations.
We have accelerated the sundown of the C-2 from 2027 to
2024. We have our first aircraft being built in Philadelphia
today, rolling down the line. That aircraft will deliver in
fiscal year 2020.
We then have to do a modified OT [operational test] and DT
[development test], and the only thing--the operational tests--
the only thing that we are testing are the things different on
the CMV-22 as compared to the MV-22. So that's going to be a
very compressed test.
We then IOC and get our first three aircraft to deploy in
2021. There is no means by which I can accelerate that any
further when you look at the MILCON [military construction],
the training that's required for our sailors to operate,
maintain, and the aircrew that have to fly and get the hours
they need. We are going as fast as we can go.
Any additional aircraft at this point would relieve or
provide a shock absorber during the transition, as we go from
transition to deployment and follow-on detachments until we are
completely divested of our C-2.
Mr. Courtney. Great. Well, thank you. I mean, that's a very
helpful picture you painted in terms of the program. And again,
I just encourage you guys to just keep, you know, us abreast.
You know, one question is, obviously, there was an accident
and there was a loss of life. And I realize this hearing is not
about individual--because it--maybe just talk about the status
of the case investigation.
Admiral Conn. Yes, sir. Well, the investigation is still
ongoing. Our recovery and salvage efforts, we have the 22,000
feet of Kevlar cable to recover the aircraft that is at 18,000
feet of water in the Philippine Sea.
We have to do some follow-on testing with the winch on the
salvage vessel, to be able to reel up this aircraft. And then,
now that we are in typhoon season in that part of the world, we
are going to have to wait for the seas to abate.
Our best estimate right now is, when we look at the
conditions that the ocean will provide, we are looking late
spring, early summer of next year.
Mr. Courtney. Great. Well, thank you for your testimony and
your great efforts, and also to the other witnesses for being
here. I yield back.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Courtney.
We will now go to Mr. Gallagher.
Mr. Gallagher. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
To follow up on that line of questioning that the ranking
member was pursuing, you talk about the differences between the
C-2 and the CMV-22, which you are testing right now. My
understanding is that one of the biggest differences is the
lack of a pressurized cabin on the CMV-22.
Can you talk to me about what impact that might have
physiologically on passengers and aircraft, and what we should
know about those implications?
Admiral Conn. Yes, sir. The V-22 program has in excess of
425,000 hours in all unpressurized cockpits. And we haven't
seen any concern at all about having people inside that
unpressurized cockpit.
For the CMV-22, it will fly 10,000 feet and below. We--and
that was part of the requirements, that it has to be 10,000
feet and below with a full load of equipment, and meet the
range specifications to that. And the aircraft will be able to
do that.
Additionally, for the--it also has some opportunity because
it is tiltrotor, not only to go on carriers but when any deck
is certified for that aircraft--Afloat Forward Staging Base or
whatnot in the future, that gives us flexibility to distribute
parts in a distributed maritime operations environment.
Did I answer your question, sir?
Mr. Gallagher. Yes, sir.
General Kirkland, we have heard a lot, you know, when we
travel around to various shipyards, bases, whatnot--anyone that
involves hiring of Federal civilian employees, just how
difficult that process can be. And even with aggressive energy
and management, it can take as long as 140 days to hire a new
worker.
So as you look at, sort of, additional C-130 workload, talk
to me a little bit about whether you feel like you have the
skilled labor on hand and the challenges contained in the
Federal civilian hiring process.
General Kirkland. Congressman Gallagher, thank you for that
question.
I would first like to thank the committee and the larger--
this Committee on Armed Services, for the direct hiring
authority which we have been provided, which was approved in
2016. And we have used, through the NDAA, temporary authority
which I believe is through 2025. Thank you for that.
It has allowed us to hire over 1,500 employees, averaging
at 78 days. And that is a combination of the direct hiring
authority, but also process improvements with our personnel
center to skinny-down that process. Using direct hiring
authority, we have accounted for about 75 percent of our
external hires at the air logistics complex for our depots.
We are working to expand the direct hiring authority to
those organizations which directly support our depots, and
specific to the C-130 workload. Through the combination of
those efforts, we are 100 percent manned for all of our fiscal
year 2019 C-130 work at Warner Robins.
Now the challenge remains, because as we grow our workload
there, particularly as we transition the naval aircraft
currently going to Utah down to Georgia, we will continue to
hire year after year. But the DHA, the direct hiring authority,
is a key element of the ``1200 in 12'' [hire 1,200 technicians
in 12 months] initiative going on at Warner Robins right now,
which began this past summer.
I would add to that one other thing, that while we work
closely with vocational and technical schools around the
locations where our depots are, the Air Force Sustainment
Center would also benefit from creating an on-ramp for our
recently retired military personnel. These skilled journeymen
bring years of experience and a vital buffer as we experience
other people in the workforce.
And we are looking--asking through our service to make an
exception to the 180-day waiting period in support of Federal
wait system in some of the lower-level general schedule
employees, particularly with the logistics and supply chain
management. We need to retain this experience for our service
members as they walk out the door.
Mr. Gallagher. I appreciate that. I mean, I tend to think
that the health of the civilian industrial base is one of the
most important issues that we face. It could be a limiting
factor if, God forbid, we had to scale up in response to a
great power conflict and it is something that's easy to
overlook.
It is certainly something I hear, too, beyond the military
industrial base from every company in Northeast Wisconsin. It
is just the challenge of finding people, keeping people,
retaining talent. And so I think it is something we are going
to need to continue to think about here on the committee.
And with that, I yield the remainder of my time, Mr.
Chairman.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mr. Gallagher.
We will now go to Ms. Bordallo. Thank you. Thank you.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman and ranking
member, and thank you to our witnesses, General Harris, General
Kirkland, and Admiral Conn.
Well, I certainly have traveled on C-130s multiple times. I
consider them to be the military horses of their aircraft. But
gentlemen, the fiscal year 2019 NDAA outlined a framework
proposed by Ranking Member Smith for a national commission on
military aviation safety.
So I want to ask you, General Harris or Admiral Conn, can
you please offer your thoughts on how this commission will
benefit mobility mishaps and impact intra-theater airlift
challenges?
General Harris. Yes, ma'am, if you don't mind, I will
start.
Ms. Bordallo. Surely.
General Harris. Our approach to any option to look at
safety, that's our number one guidance for the business that we
do in the defense of our Nation, so an opportunity to look into
that and have those discussions are certainly something that we
look forward to and are working with.
That element will be part of a larger study that's being
released by Transportation Command on the study of our overall
airlifts, not just TAC [tactical] lift, but also our strategic
lift.
We will continue to work with that and make sure that we
get the information that we need, and the safety is our number
one issue. That's where we will focus resources if we determine
that that's where we have to go.
Ms. Bordallo. Very good. You consider it, then, a benefit?
General Harris. Yes, ma'am.
Ms. Bordallo. Admiral Conn.
Admiral Conn. Anything that addresses or looks into the
safety of our people, our equipment, or civilians that fly on
them, I think it is definitely value-added.
Ms. Bordallo. Very good. My second question is, Lieutenant
General Harris, Secretary Wilson outlined her plan for a 386-
squadron Air Force to us on Wednesday morning, just this last
Wednesday.
The Air Force leadership calls for reducing the number of
tactical airlift squadrons by 2, but increasing special ops,
fixed-wing electronic warfare, and fixed-wing rescue units by
17. Now, if the pilot crisis is depleting our experienced
aviators, how does the Air Force intend to man these new units
with senior aviators and mitigate risk across the C-130 force?
General Harris. So ma'am, you bring up a great question.
The first thing we want to do is retain the fantastic
airmen that we have now. If we have an aircrew with 10 or 15
years of experience, training more will take us 10 to 15 years
to get that experience back. So we recognize the most important
feature that you are asking about is how do we take care of the
fantastic airmen and the aviators that we have across all the
services? So that's our start that we are working with.
But we also have to get after the foundation, so we are
improving our capacity to generate new pilots and new aircrew
members, and then our ability to absorb those.
So with our requirement to grow, based on the National
Defense Strategy [NDS], which is where Secretary Wilson is
pulling her information from, we have to be able to resize to
fit the Air Force that we need to win our Nation's wars. So we
are starting at the beginning to retain those that we already
have, and then growing our capacity to build new ones and bring
them on.
Ms. Bordallo. Very good. My third question, the ``Air Force
we need'' outlined by the Secretary and the Chief also ties the
service's way forward to the National Defense Strategy and
long-term strategic competition with China and Russia.
General Harris and Admiral Conn, can you speak to how
intra-theater airlift requirements will change in this
environment, in regards to tactical and strategic airlift?
General Harris. Yes, ma'am. Intra-theater airlift will
continue to be a workhorse, as you described, and the C-130
will provide that for the long term.
And the focus of that ``Air Force we need'' study
recognizes that we actually have more risk in our strategic
lift, so you see some growth in our ability to--to get after
what we are required to do to meet, as the NDS says, our bigger
threats of China, then Russia. And that's a different focus
than we have had in the last several years. So you are going to
see a requirement to grow across many of our capabilities in
the Air Force.
Ms. Bordallo. Oh, that's good news. Admiral Conn.
Admiral Conn. I think if you look at the size of the
Pacific, and you think of sustaining combat operations, the
importance of logistics cannot be overstated, whether it be our
MSC [Military Sealift Command] fleet that provides surface
lift, whether--or our NUFEA aircraft, or C-40As, and our C-
130Ts right now. They are going to play an integral part of
making sure the warfighters have what they need to wage combat
operations in that environment.
Ms. Bordallo. Well, that's good news.
And Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Ms. Bordallo.
Before we go to Ms. Hartzler, I want to take this
opportunity, since this is the last of our subcommittee
hearings for this subcommittee, to thank Ms. Bordallo for her
service and the tremendous efforts that she has put forward on
behalf of all of our men and women in uniform.
She has been, I think, the leading proponent anywhere she
goes. If anybody comes across her and doesn't know where Guam
is, or what goes on on Guam, then it is--you are not listening,
because she is absolutely the number one fan of the people of
Guam, and I know that they appreciate your service to the
Nation.
You have done a spectacular job. We have had the
opportunity to travel around the world together on CODELs
[congressional delegations], and you have just been
spectacular. So thank you so much. What a real testament to
public service, and our Nation is better because of your
service, and we thank you.
Ms. Bordallo. Thank you very much, Mr. Wittman, and I have
enjoyed working with you.
Mr. Wittman. Yeah, it is been a--been an honor and a
pleasure.
So with that, we will to Ms. Hartzler.
Mrs. Hartzler. Mr. Chairman, I would concur on those
remarks, and we are going to--we are going to miss you.
So gentlemen, thank you for being here on this very
important topic.
According to the DOD [Department of Defense] National Guard
and Reserve Equipment Report for Fiscal Year 2018, the average
age of the C-130H fleet is 27 years old. The aircraft assigned
to the Puerto Rico Air National Guard were among some of the
oldest in the fleet. The mishap aircraft was delivered in 1965.
So can you explain how the decision is made to assign
aircraft to Air National Guard units?
General Harris. Yes, ma'am. I will take that.
We actually have our Strategic Basing Process that works
through how--where and how we assign the aircraft that are
changing. Based on the guidance that we have been given, we
have put new J model C-130s into both the Active, Guard, and
Reserves, so we have elements that are in each one of those
fleets.
And once we had that, then we looked at replacing the
oldest aircraft first, and many of those were in the Active
Duty. So that's why most of the E models have been retired--
actually, all the E models have been retired at this point, and
we are getting after the last aging ones.
So Puerto Rico is some of the oldest aircraft that are
still flying. They are down to just a few airplanes. And we are
continuing to work through the Strategic Basing Process to
determine what is the best mission suitable for the fantastic
airmen that we have there.
Mrs. Hartzler. What is the age of the oldest aircraft? So
are there still other ones in Puerto Rico that are 1965 models?
General Harris. There are some 1965, ma'am, spread across
the fleet. Most of those are simple Hs, because we have an H,
an H1, 2, 3--different variants of those. We show that C-130Hs
are resident both in Puerto Rico and we also have some in Great
Falls and a couple other locations.
Mrs. Hartzler. So there is a plan, then, to recapitalize
the legacy C-130 aircraft?
General Harris. To recapitalize? No, ma'am. We are doing
our best to modernize; and, at this time, we are not asking for
additional recapitalization efforts.
We do see support here from Congress for more. And as we
get new C-130Js, we do put those into the oldest fleet. And
that's how we will work the Strategic Basing Process.
Mrs. Hartzler. Okay, very good.
After the mishap, there was a strategic review that was
done. That came out with some--a list of risk and recommended
mitigations, corrective actions to be completed not later than
June 15th of this year.
And I apologize, I was a little late. Maybe you have
already covered that. But can you give me an update on, kind
of, that report? I haven't had a chance to read it. What were
some of the recommendations that were part of that? And where
are you at in implementing those that were supposed be done by
June?
General Harris. With regard to a specific accident, ma'am,
we--the investigation's still ongoing. And we have not
implemented the--anything that would have come from there yet.
For the strategic report that you are speaking of, if it
was a June implementation, I will have to get back with you for
that.
Mrs. Hartzler. Okay. Thank you very much. Appreciate. Yield
back.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Ms. Hartzler.
We will now go to Mrs. Davis.
Mrs. Davis. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. And I, of course,
acknowledge my colleague and all the teachable moments that
you--that you created for us. I think we learned a great deal
from you, and I appreciate it.
I wanted to just go back to sort of a basic question.
Because I know that, Rear Admiral Conn, you raised in your
statement the fact that Congress--you would like to see
Congress prioritizing preparedness. And also, you were
concerned about the resilience, I think, as well, of our force
posture and, certainly, accelerating technological
advancements. What--could you you be somewhat specific about
it?
And--to others as well, what would you really like to see
in Congress' desire, of course, and our opportunity to really
help in this situation?
Admiral Conn. Well, certainly, Congress helped. We have
guidance from the National Defense Strategy that gives us
priorities. We have guidance from the CNO [Chief of Naval
Operations] in terms of the things we need to prioritize. He
calls it ``the Navy the Nation needs,'' which is the maritime
expression of that single strategy in the National Defense
Strategy.
Readiness recovery across all our aircraft is a priority at
the mission-capable rates that we have right now. It affects
retention. It affects combat capability. It affects our ability
to--lethality, of what we need to do. For the NUFEA aircraft it
affects our ability to do the things we need to do, based on
the various priority missions, and if our aircraft aren't up,
we aren't able to execute those missions or train the people to
execute those missions.
So from a PB19 level and what is in that budget, we can
do--we are doing a lot. We will always have more requirements
than resources. It would always come down to prioritization. I
just don't want to go back to where we have to make false
choices of readiness or modernization or recapitalization. We
have been there before and we shouldn't go back.
Mrs. Davis. General Kirkland, did you want to respond as
well?
General Kirkland. Ma'am, actually, in that topic, I will
defer to General Harris on the program ex [execution].
General Harris. Ma'am, very similar to the Navy response.
Resiliency is extremely important, and as long as we pay our
airmen a fair wage and then give them a value-added mission
where they feel like they are working and attaining the freedom
that this country fights for, we find that the airmen are
empowered and want to do what it is that they do so well.
Our job to take care of those airmen is to make sure they
have the resources they need to get that job done in the most
efficient, effective, and safe manner, and we do start with
safety, then compliance.
So, much like our Navy colleagues, we do have to make some
tough choices. We do our best to prioritize those, and it is an
older fleet for the C-130s but our KC-135 and our B-52 fleets
are even older. So we are doing what we can to modernize and
make those airplanes sustain and get the mission done that we
need based on the priorities that we have.
Mrs. Davis. Yes. So I think I am hearing you also say not
to ignore the personnel issues in making sure that we are
attracting and bringing into the force as well as maintaining
the force that we have. And sometimes I think that we have a
tendency to think that, well, that's where we can save money.
And it sounds like that's not been your experience. Thank you.
I appreciate that.
I know my colleague brought up the need for--and you have
responded about the skilled journeymen that we need. I am also
wondering about STEM [science, technology, engineering, and
math] fields, as well. I mean, there's been a tremendous amount
of focus on this, and yet, when it comes to the number of
individuals that are needed in just a host of different areas,
you know, we graduated about 500,000 STEM students. China
produced about 1.3 million.
What--how is your job really made harder by the fact that
we have not invested, actually, in human capital as well as we
could?
General Harris. Well to this point, the service has been
able to hire the talent that we have needed, which is very
helpful for us, so we see that coming out of the American
public.
We do what we can to invest in STEM, and our Secretary,
Secretary Wilson, has been very good about that coming from her
background, so she has been most helpful and encouraging us to
work with the universities and academia to make sure that we
have people understanding that it is a great career field to
come into any of our services and defend our country.
General Kirkland. If I might add, from the sustainment
perspective on the Air Logistics Complex Air Force side,
engineers in that technical workforce are absolutely part of--
that we have to have. It is a national defense issue.
Our growth industries and software, both in the development
and the sustainment of the software, sometimes for 50, 60 years
of a weapon system, we need to recruit and retain electrical
engineers and other engineers to keep that business going and
provide a cost-effective solution for our readiness.
Mrs. Davis. Do you see us doing that across the board as
well as we could? I mean, making sure that--what role should we
all be playing, really, I think, in terms of reaching out to
students, whether it is in middle school, high school, to
really help them to see--you know, we always say you can't be
what you can't see.
We have--in some communities, we have the opportunity for
young people to know something about what is going on with the
military, and certainly with the--with the Air Force, Navy, et
cetera. But there are many communities in which that is not
true. How do we make sure that we are reaching them as well?
Admiral Conn. I think all the services are in a competition
for talent with industry, with academia, and within the
services itself. I think we have to look at how we train
differently for our people. How do we set them up for success?
That is part of the Ready, Relevant Learning. It is not
just about the individual's academic background, but what is
the environment in which we are training them in that gives
them the relevant information to be able to do the tasks they
need to do when they need to do them?
But we can't understate the challenge we have, and this is
a little outside my lane, but of recruiting the talent we need
as we are growing the force. And I think the recent--there has
been changes to bonuses that have been helpful. I can't speak
to the trends yet, but initially they look good. But it is also
getting those talented sailors who maintain those aircraft, who
work on those ships. It is going to be a challenge, in my view.
Mrs. Davis. I would wonder if perhaps, in your thinking
about this, it sounds like you have given it some thought,
whether there are ways that we could be organized differently
to do that better, and to make sure that as you suggest, the
environment and the incentives could possibly be different?
General Harris. So ma'am, if I may respond to that,
Secretary Wilson has recently nearly doubled our College Intern
Program, which is bringing much more young talent to us. But
she is also having us change the capacity of our recruiting
squadrons, both in where they are at, and where they go to get
to the talent that's available for us.
And then finally, a lot of the people are getting
experience. As we said, software is one of our growing
concerns. Instead of bringing everybody in as a young airman or
a young officer, it is hiring people to the right skill level
that they are already at, and we are working with Congress to
get that authority, and it has been very helpful.
Mrs. Davis. Okay, we will continue to work on that. Thank
you. Thank you all.
Mr. Wittman. Thank you, Mrs. Davis.
If there are no other questions from the committee members,
I want to thank our witnesses. Lieutenant General Harris, thank
you. Lieutenant General Kirkland, thank you. Rear Admiral Conn,
thank you. Thanks for your perspectives.
As you have pointed out, we have some challenges ahead, but
we want to make sure that we are on track with the upgrades
with existing aircraft and modernization with aircraft
replacement, and making sure that we stay on track. So we
appreciate your efforts, and we look forward to continued
progress in those realms.
And if there's nothing else to come before the
subcommittee, we stand adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 9:51 a.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]
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A P P E N D I X
September 28, 2018
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PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD
September 28, 2018
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[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MEMBERS POST HEARING
September 28, 2018
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QUESTIONS SUBMITTED BY MR. COURTNEY
Mr. Courtney. The Air Force and the Navy are pursuing propeller
modifications to legacy C-130Hs and the Navy C-130T. Do you believe
that the NP2000 propeller modifications will help to prevent future
propeller casualties and are you confident that the inclusion of the
NP2000 system will not induce risk given it was not the original
propeller system?
General Harris. All flight and operational testing conducted by the
U.S. Air Force (USAF) indicates that installation of NP2000 propellers
on C/LC-130H aircraft does not change the overall operational risk to
these aircraft. Since 2005, USAF C-130 engineering has partnered with
Lockheed Martin, Hamilton-Sundstrand, Rolls Royce, USAF test centers
(Edwards AFB, Eglin AFB, Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command
Test Center), the Air National Guard and various integration companies
to accomplish tasks necessary to integrate the NP2000 propellers onto
USAF C-130H aircraft. Areas of concerns discovered were adequately
addressed by additional USAF testing and redesign. Airworthiness of C/
LC-130Hs with NP2000 propellers conforms to the requirements of the
USAF military airworthiness process. To safely operate the aircraft,
performance and handling differences between the original propeller
system and the NP2000 have been documented in all appropriate technical
orders, flight and maintenance manuals. The primary purpose of the
NP2000 propeller is to improve the performance of the C/LC-130H
aircraft in conditions where it is currently limited; for example, LC-
130H aircraft are now able to takeoff from remote fields in Antarctica
without the use of Jet Assisted Takeoff bottles and with much shorter
takeoff distances. The USAF has accumulated approximately 4,000 flight
hours including C/LC-130H flight test and LC-130H operational missions
to Antarctica and Greenland. The USAF also shared the NP2000
certification data with Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR); the NP2000
propeller is currently installed on the following USN aircraft: 2 C-
130T, 34 E-2D, 39 E-2C and 34 C-2A. The USN has accumulated over one
million flight hours on the NP2000 propeller installed on these
aircraft.
Mr. Courtney. Lieutenant General Kirkland, in your written
testimony, you touched upon the importance of corrosion prevention and
control. I understand that the Air Force has recently looked at
adopting a new liner blanket technology for the C-130, originally
developed for the Army's CH-47 fleet, and that this technology has the
potential to significantly reduce corrosion to the airframe. Could you
discuss this effort specifically, as well as the importance of
corrosion control for the C-130 in general?
General Kirkland. Corrosion prevention and control remains one of
the top sustainment drivers for the C-130. Much of the field and depot
maintenance that is conducted on the C-130 is performed to identify,
correct, and prevent corrosion. It is estimated that $550M per year is
expended on the C-130 in corrosion prevention and control. The C-130
Program Office has an active corrosion control program; to include,
continued assessment of emerging and existing corrosion issues,
incorporation of newly developed corrosion control measures,
performance of up to 7 field visits per year, and holding regular
Corrosion Prevention Advisory Board meetings. As part of the corrosion
prevention and control efforts, the Improved Thermal Acoustic Blanket
(ITAB) that was incorporated on the CH-47 was identified as a
replacement for the existing aircraft interior insulation. The C-130
Program Office is currently working on a contract to procure prototype
blanket kits to replace the interior insulation blankets. The new
blankets will be a preferred spare to the current blankets and fleet
implementation is planned to be carried out via attrition during
programmed depot maintenance (PDM). The breathability, along with
several other technical properties, of the improved blanket material
will help to prevent corrosion. Additionally, the improved ITAB
attachment methods will make interior aircraft inspections easier to
accomplish and repair kits will enable unit-level repair of the
improved blankets.
Mr. Courtney. The Air Force and the Navy are pursuing propeller
modifications to legacy C-130Hs and the Navy C-130T. Do you believe
that the NP2000 propeller modifications will help to prevent future
propeller casualties and are you confident that the inclusion of the
NP2000 system will not induce risk given it was not the original
propeller system?
Admiral Conn. NAVAIR has begun to modify 24 C/KC-130T aircraft with
the NP2000 propeller. The NP2000 propeller is currently installed on
the following Navy aircraft: 2 C-130T, 34 E-2D, 39 E-2C and 34 C-2A.
USAF has installed the NP2000 propeller on 10 USAF C/LC-130H aircraft.
USAF tested and certified the NP2000 installation on the C/LC-130H and
updated performance manuals with modified procedures to safely operate
the aircraft. USAF shared certification data with NAVAIR, which used it
to determine airworthiness of the NP2000 propeller installed on Navy C/
KC-130T aircraft. The same data was used to generate maintenance
manuals, an operator's manual, and a performance manual to support
fleet operations. USN has accumulated over one million flight hours on
the NP2000 propeller installed on the E-2D/E-2C/C-2A fleet. USAF has
accumulated approximately 3900 flight hours on C/LC-130H aircraft. The
inter-service cooperation resulted in USN avoiding millions of dollars
in redundant costs. Since NAVAIR used the USAF data to certify NP2000
propeller installed on the C/KC-130T, Navy was able to develop the
modification package, modify the first aircraft and prepare for
functional check flight in 97 days. This expedited NAVAIR certification
process and aircraft modification is a key contributor to accelerating
the restoration of the legacy C/KC-130T fleet to flight operations post
grounding. NAVAIR has concluded that the NP2000 propeller system
performance characteristics are slightly different than the legacy
54H60 propeller; however, the operational risk posture of the C/KC-130T
aircraft remains unchanged.
[all]