WBI Workshop Examines Shortcomings of Remote Airfield Preparation, Identifies Improvements

26.01.23 05:25 PM By Jennie Hempstead

Members of the 577th Expeditionary Prime Base Engineer Emergency Force Squadron Consolidated-Small Maintenance and Repair Team wait for a Black Hawk helicopter at a remote combat outpost on an airfield quickly “made to order.” (Photo by U.S. Air Force/Senior Airman Scott Saldukas)

By: Laura Dempsey


The Air Force Research Laboratory’s Center for Rapid Innovation (CRI) engaged Wright Brothers Institute to take charge of a two-day Aerial Airfield Survey Tool Workshop in mid-October. The workshop was designed to respond to the Contingency Response Wing’s (CRWs) need to assess the viability of an area to be a landing strip or drop zone.

Currently, Air Mobility Liaison Officers (AMLOs) cover miles of territory on foot, making decisions about suitability within a limited time frame. Current and future missions call for spreading forces throughout the Pacific; the longer the AMLOs are there, the easier they are for the enemy to locate and identify. A one-hour time frame is the goal for drop zone location determination. In addition, requests for ad hoc airfields and drop zones include hurricane response and disaster relief

Participants from Air Force stakeholders discuss the issue of quickly identifying suitable locations for remote airifields during a workshop at Wright Brothers Institute's Springfield Street location. (Photo courtesy WBI)

Air Mobility Liaison Officers work alone or in pairs, carrying everything they need to the destination to be assessed. Transportation is based on local assets and therefore not guaranteed. Once the AMLO arrive on site, they work along the friction point to include the landing zone. A solution that is portable and able to determine the viability of a possible landing zone or drop zone within an hour will significantly decrease the safety risk of the Airmen on the ground while accelerating the process. 


AMLOs’ need to work quickly, often alone, with limited transportation support and a demand for assessment of suitability while monitoring for incursions during mission execution, made them eager to brainstorm solutions. Contingency Response (CR) Airfield Civil Engineering members were invited to participate in the workshop, sharing similar mission challenges while performing detailed surveys of new and existing airfields, required every five years. 

Air Mobility Liaison Officers work alone or in pairs, carrying everything they need to the destination to be assessed. Transportation is based on local assets and therefore not guaranteed. Once the AMLO arrive on site, they work along the friction point to include the landing zone. A solution that is portable and able to determine the viability of a possible landing zone or drop zone within an hour will significantly decrease the safety risk of the Airmen on the ground while accelerating the process. 

In an Air Mobility Command article, Col. John Bockhold, AMLO with the Army’s III Corps, said, "AMLOs are trained to identify a potential airlift issue and work with the supported unit and airlift community to find a solution that meets the requirements of both. The AMLOs are engaged with resolving an issue before it becomes a crisis ensuring the mission goes off smoothly and successfully."

The same article noted that the need for AMLOs is constant. Since the attacks on Sept 11, 2001, the warfighter and our nation have become increasingly dependent upon rapid, global mobility to meet our needs. With airdrop at an all-time high, the demand for AMLOs is too.

WBI's Proving Ground Team was instrumental in facilitating the workshop, beginning with deconstructing the problem and identifying the steps required for airfield studies and assessments by CRWs and AMLOs. Those groups work together to assess airfield possibilities but have yet to come together to discuss common pain points, and which areas could be improved.

During the workshop, participants explored relevant Air Force technologies, commercial solutions, and any combination that could serve the mission. 

At the end of the workshop, the groups left with a clear layout of the problem, the current process, and how solutions can be integrated.

Sources:

Jennie Hempstead