Report: Germany-based Apache units rank higher than most in preparedness
By Jon R. Anderson,
Stars and Stripes
Courtesy of the U.S. Army
An AH-64 Apache flies into firing position at the Glamoc firing range in Bosnia and
Herzegovina in this file photo. A recent General Accounting Office report shows that the
Army doesn't have enough money to keep its 274 Apaches flying as safely and effectively as
possible. |
HEIDELBERG, Germany — Despite major maintenance problems
experienced by the Army’s entire AH-64 Apache attack helicopter fleet, units in
Germany generally have done a better job of keeping their aircraft flying and ready for
combat.
Still, on the whole, the Army does not have enough money to keep its
fleet of 274 tank-killing Apaches flying as safely and efficiently as possible, according
a new report released by the General Accounting Office.
Defense Department officials concurred with the report’s
findings saying they “strongly support efforts to elevate and correct potential
safety hazards in an expeditious manner,” according the report’s executive
summary.
Meanwhile, the GAO — Capitol Hill’s investigative arm
— revealed that parts shortages and lengthy safety inspections because of faulty
components kept much of the Apache fleet unready for combat and grounded for months at a
time.
That’s been no secret to the four Germany-based Apache units,
whose commanders have complained of having to retrain pilots virtually from scratch
because the maintenance woes have kept training on the back burner for so long.
From December 1999 to January 2001, Apache units in Germany fell
below the 70 percent “fully mission capable” goal set by the Army for a total of
six months, or 25 percent of that span, according to Maj. Martin Downie, spokesman of V
Corps, which oversees all four of Europe’s Apache squadrons.
At times, those numbers dipped so low that nearly all the helicopters
based in Europe fell below the Army readiness goal.
Still, Germany-based units have fared better than the Apache fleet as
a whole. During that same two-year period, the Army’s fleet-wide average fell below
the 70 percent threshold for all except the month of April 1999.
Those averages, however, were dragged down by Army National Guard and
Reserve units who were significantly less ready than active-duty units. In fact, National
Guard and Reserve units never made the 70 percent goal, often spiking well below 40
percent.
Compared to active-duty units, though, Germany-based squadrons were
still better off. Again, over the same two-year period, the average active-duty unit saw
its “fully mission capable” ratings drop below 70 percent for more than eight
months.
Last year, according to the GAO report, the Army was about $700,000
short of the $28.6 million it needed to sustain the Apaches.
According to the Army’s Aviation and Missile Command, that
shortfall is only expected to get worse.
“The command projects it will be able to meet only about 56
percent of the Apaches’ sustainment support requirements for fiscal years
2001-2003,” the report reads.
“As a result, some Apache sustainment support projects that
effect [sic] efficient management of Apache parts and the helicopters’ flight safety
have been limited in scope or delayed.”
For example, the report cites a five-month delay in analyzing a
faulty swashplate “because the Army did not have the funds available.”
When contractors finally did examine the faulty part, “it was
determined that 88 additional swashplates might be affected, and the entire Apache fleet
was grounded to prevent the potential loss of life and equipment.”
Meanwhile, another grounding is only exacerbating problems. Most of
the fleet was grounded on June 28 because of difficulties with the Apache’s tail
rotor.
Inspections teams have been dispatched around the world to get the aircraft flying
again. Nearly all the blades have been inspected in Germany with teams expected to begin
work on the last unit early next week.
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