Understanding the Supply Chain and Lifecycle Management

     During the past two weeks I have visited a massive aircraft storage site as well as a depot that performs repair and modifications to multiple military weapon systems. The first stop on my trip took me to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base outside Tucson, AZ. We were to assess the unit compliance within  the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). Communally referred to as the "bone yard" Davis-Monthan houses approximately 4,400 military aircraft that have been pulled out of active service (AMARC Experience). Aircraft that have outlived their service life are stripped of any useful parts and recycled. Other aircraft are preserved awaiting regeneration or reentry into service as a fully operational aircraft. Management of the national assets is a very demanding task for the men and women of the 309th AMARG. Their responsibilities are outlined in Air Force Instructions, Standard Operating Procedures, and Policy Letters. Other sites such as Pinal Airpark in Marana, AZ serve the equivalent role as a bone yard for commercial aircraft.  Both AMARG and Pinal Airpark support similar activities however, Pinal responsibilities are defined solely from a host of FAA Regulations.

  One of the principle roles each bone yard serves is harvesting parts to support operational aircraft. Simply stated, Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the activity that tries to place the right part at the right place at the right time to support the organization's mission. If the existing spares allocation are exhausted, Item Managers can look to sites such as AMARG or Pinal to source additional inventory to increase the availability. This action may be as a necessity due to a number of different reasons. 

  One example of constraints on having an adequate spares allocation could be unforeseen challenges or changes in the lifecycle management plan. For example, if a manufacturer designs a component to perform without repair for half the lifecycle of the parent system, item managers will develop the sustainment solution to support that expectation. However, if over time the assets actual performance is half of what the manufacture predicted, the existing number of spares is approximately half of what is require while the planed sustainment cost has now doubled. Pulling resources from the bone yards may help relieve some of this lifecycle management pressure. Once inspected and tested for serviceability, by an approved authority, these parts could increase the number of available spares (FAR 43.2(2)).

Another example could be Diminishing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS). Essentially, this is the inability to sustain an item due to loss of the manufacturer or required material (DAG, page 237). An example would be a replacement 8-track tape player head. Once leading edge, this technology was overcome by caste tape and compact disk. Although you may find something through a specialized vender, chances of finding exactly the player head you are looking for would be nearly imposable and whatever you may find would definitely cost more. Pulling assets from the bone yard could provide you additional resources to sustain the assets no longer supported by manufacturers. Depending on depth of resources, this solution may prove to be temporary but it may provide sufficient time to implement something more permanent. CFR Part 43, paragraph 43.2(b) defines overhaul and testing requirements that must be met prior to returning an asset to serviceable inventory for use on aircraft (CFR 43.2).   

The second half of my recent trip gave me an in-depth look at the capabilities within the Air Logistics Complex (ALC) at Hill AFB, UT. The ALC provides support for both aircraft and commodities or component level assets. Not only is this site responsible for aircraft slated for Program Depot Maintenance (PDM) on several weapon systems, it also performs major repair and modification (Hill AFB). Schedulers work closely with the DoD and Foreign Military Services to define the planned workload and schedule the weapon system or sub-system for repair, overhaul, modification, or regeneration. Planning for induction into the depot is no small task and the effort is only compounded by the level of repair required. Running parallel to their PDM activities is a modification capability for both on and off equipment assets. From corrosion control to aircraft structural modifications the team at Hill runs the full spectrum of maintenance capabilities. One key element to successfully completing a PDM or a modification is parts availability. This is where the activities at Davis-Monthan and Hill interface with incredible synergy. Keeping the PDM or Mod lines fed with serviceable parts is the difference between an on-time delivery or delays in returning the weapon system to the customer. 

If additional aircraft or spare parts are required, recovering them from storage may be the only option. Regeneration of stored aircraft or parts begins at the bone yard and finishes with the ALC. For example, one of the assets the ALC had just released from flight test was a former US Marine Corp C-130 Hercules aircraft. This C-130 was removed from storage at Davis-Monthan and has now returned to fully mission capable for reuse as a Foreign Military Sale. Part of this effort was not only ensuring the aircraft met air worthiness requirements but also included several modifications to upgrade or modernize the platform to meet the customer requirements. Interesting thing to note is the airworthiness process in this case was twofold. Initially the aircraft had to meet certain certification criteria to be flown from Davis-Mothan to Hill under a US certificate. Once modified, the airworthiness certification must meet the requirements as defined by the nation policy of the country that takes possession of the FMS aircraft. The exporting agency has the responsibility of forwarding all documentation to the importing country (FAR 21.335).

Aircraft aren't the only things to come out of the bone yards. Components also find their way to the ALC at Hill. At first glance some of the items I saw looked more like scrap metal heading to salvage. However, these assets are desperately need to support the activities within the depot as well as replenishment to support the Warfighter.  Remember what was discussed earlier about returning aircraft parts for use on aircraft can only be accomplished after it has been inspected and tested by an approved person? Again CFR Part 43, paragraph 43.2(b) defines overhaul and testing requirements that must be performed (CFR 43.2) and CFR 43.3 further defines who is authorized to perform these tasks (CFR 43.3). Each of the items that passes through the ALC are meticulously tracked to ensure all requirements are met and the end product makes it way to the proper location, on-site or returned to the global sustainment pool managed by the Defense Logistics Agency or DLA. 

So what does all this really mean? First and foremost, spares are a critical element for sustainment of all weapon systems. Second, entire industries are in place to support the repair, overhaul, and modification of aircraft and their components. Third, the authority to the repair, overhaul, and modify assets is defined in FAA Regulations. Finally, nowhere in this research did the responsibility to maintain the airworthiness standard fall to the aircraft manufacturer. The owning agency or permit holder is responsible for ensuring proper inspection surveillance, preventative maintenance, and alteration of the aircraft (CFR 121.373). 

References:

AMARC Experience. What is AMARG. Retrieved from: http://www.amarcexperience.com/ui/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=213

DAG. Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages. Retrieved from: https://acc.dau.mil/docs/dag_pdf/dag_complete.pdf

FAA. 14 CFR Part 21 Certification Procedures for Products and Parts. Retrieved from: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5;node=14%3A1.0.1.3.9#sp14.1.21.l

FAA. 14 CFR Part 43 Maintenance, Preventative Maintenance, Rebuilding, and Alteration. Retrieved from: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=294de5e7173c97d9599f0fb0af600b6b&tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title14/14cfr43_main_02.tpl

FAA. 14 CFR Part 91 Subpart E—Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations. Retrieved from: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=49ecddd9db69b61c093fe6c9704dafd2&rgn=div6&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.10.5&idno=14

FAA. 14 CFR Part 121 Subpart L—Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations. Retrieved from: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?c=ecfr&SID=294de5e7173c97d9599f0fb0af600b6b&rgn=div6&view=text&node=14:3.0.1.1.7.12&idno=14

Hill Air Force Base. Ogden Air Logistics Complex. Retrieved from: http://www.hill.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=5594