January 2000 - Aviation Fuel Initiatives for the 21st Century

By:  Major General Anthony Jones

The size of today's battlefield is dependent on the speed of unit movement and the ability to supply units with fuel. To meet today's demands, the Army must seek innovative methods to insure the units have the fuel for a fast-paced force projection. Lessons learned during Operation Desert Storm and other stability and support operations indicate it has become a challenge for today's Army to provide fuel to units when and where they need it. The U.S. Army Aviation Center (USAAVNC) and U.S. Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM) are working programs that will solve problems found on the battlefield.

 CASCOM is working with the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command to validate the use of internal tanks on the C-17 Globemaster III as a fuel source, and to allow the transfer of fuel into Army helicopters using current standard refueling equipment. Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division successfully demonstrated the capability to refuel Army aircraft from a C-17 at Fort Campbell, Ky. This successful demonstration of the C-17 to carry large fuel quantities C coupled with its ability to land on short, unimproved runways C provides the capability to support Army maneuver units during deep operations.

 The Advanced Forward Area Refueling System (AAFARS) is a portable system that can be deployed forward in support of deep strikes. AAFARS can be inserted by UH-60 aircraft and put into operation by four personnel within 30 minutes. The system has a 250-gallon per minute (GPM) pump that provides fuel to four refueling points at a rate of 55 GPM at each point. AAFARS is designed to pump from four 500-gallon bladders or from any fuel source using standard hoses and fittings. The AAFARS will replace the antiquated Forward Area Refueling Equipment (FARE) currently in use. The 101st Abn. Div. at Fort Campbell was the first unit equipped with AAFARS (FUE) in fiscal year 1999.

The CH-47D is the Army's workhorse, both carrying supplies and acting as a fuel tanker when fitted with four 600-gallon internal tanks. The 600-gallon pods also function as an internal fuel supply for ferry missions. The current tanks are not crashworthy and are not ballistic tolerant, which creates a safety hazard to the flight crews and the aircraft. The U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) is now replacing the old system with the Extended Range Fuel System II (ERFS II), a new crashworthy system that is ballistic tolerant. ERFS II has three 800-gallon tanks, pump and hoses for a two-point distribution system.    

 The aviation branch is also working the Remote Rearm and Refuel Deployable Distribution System (R3D2S), which will provide fuel from an UH-60 to a forward company of OH-58Ds. A scout attack mission requires more time on station than the OH-58D fuel capacity allows. The R3D2S consists of 230-gallon external fuel tanks, an electric fuel pump, a filter separator and a two-point standard hose-distribution system. A UH-60 with external tanks carries enough fuel to top off a company of OH-58Ds before returning for fuel itself.

 AMCOM is working a replacement for the non-crashworthy 230-gallon extended-range fuel tank. The 230-gallon tank will be retrofitted with a crashworthy and ballistic-tolerant bladder. The bladder passed the current requirement for leakage during a 60-foot drop test last September. The current composite tanks were only tested from a height of 20 feet. AMCOM proceeded with research and development intended to provide tanks for ballistic testing last November and crash testing last December.

 CASCOM is also working the feasibility of a Palletized Load System (PLS) Modular Fuel Farm (MFF). This system consists of three separate 3500 fuel tanks mounted to a flat-rack. The pump module consists of a 350 GPM pump and filter separator also mounted on a flat-rack. The MFF can provide all the capabilities for a tactical fuel supply point. The PLS can remove the empty tank and replace it with a full tank without waiting. This reduces the current time required to deploy and recover a tactical fuel supply point. A feasibility demonstration was conducted in September. The PLS/MFF can be used to provide a tactical fuel supply point in locations where large quantities of storage are not required.

 Materiel and combat developers from U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command and CASCOM are working to find better methods of supplying fuel to units. Modernization of fuel equipment, coupled with new technology, provides commanders with the capability of accomplishing their mission of force projection and decisive operations. Without these new programs, units cannot dominate the battlefield.   

 Maj. Gen. Anthony R. Jones is commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation Center at Fort Rucker, Ala., and chief of the aviation branch.

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