UH-1Y rescue hoist chain guard cover made history as the first Suitable Substitute Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) in partnership with Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) Additive Manufacturing (AM) Integrated Product Team (IPT).
NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND, PATUXENT RIVER, MD: The United States Marine Corps Light Attack Helicopter Programs Office (PMA-276) made history with the first Suitable Substitute Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) in partnership with Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) Additive Manufacturing (AM) Integrated Product Team (IPT).
Often plagued with material shortages, obsolete parts, or long lead times, the Department of the Navy is working to find rapid solutions for the fleet to avoid the often long and tedious ECP process. NAVAIR’s AM IPT is taking new steps to reduce the traditional Class I/II ECP approval and production time with the Suitable Substitute ECP.
Development of the AM IPT
The AM IPT was formed in 2016 as a command initiative. Twenty people support the IPT, including nine employees with the Naval Air Warfare Center-Aviation Division’s Modeling and Design Branch.
AM is a change in the strategic approach to how NAVAIR can provide a robust process to handle part replacements. Instead of manufacturing a large quantity of components in centralized production facilities, it allows for the manufacturing of smaller quantities as the parts are needed. In the past, this process was not feasible given the lead time needed for the configuration management process and the high costs involved. AM proved these smaller projects, involving non-critical parts, are a solution to those concerns and result in rapidly delivering parts to the warfighter.
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith emphasized the capabilities of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) in a statement on August 29. “The myriad unmanned subsurface, surface, and aerial systems that the Joint Force is rapidly procuring are a perfect match for our well decks and flight decks,” Gen. Smith said.
Gen. Smith also pointed out that the ARG/MEU is an optimal forward position for innovation in contested logistics. He noted that amphibious ships are particularly well-suited for employing advanced technologies like additive manufacturing, 3D printing, and other advanced sustainment methods. These capabilities can be combined with the Aviation Combat Element and surface connectors to enhance tactical distribution efforts.
Identifying a good candidate for the Suitable Substitute ECP
This manufacturing improvement is a game changer for the fleet, but it had to involve an ideal part. The H-1 Fleet Support Team (FST) with PMA-276 worked closely with the AM IPT to quickly address a fleet supply issue regarding the UH-1Y rescue hoist chain guard cover.
“We did a lot of work behind the scenes to determine if the guard cover could be reliably 3D printed,” explained the H-1 FST Support Equipment Systems Lead Engineer, Kevin Tierney. “We had to reverse engineer the original item, take measurements, develop a CAD model, conduct test prints, verify the size, and determine if it worked on the hoist.”
Once this data was collected, it was shared with the AM IPT and used to create a technical data package (TDP) for the fleet. When a TDP is developed, it requires a configuration management (CM) team to create an ECP, a process that could take six months to a year. As part of the AM IPT’s TDP development, the team included technical qualifications and certifications of the AM part.
As a result, the NAVAIR CM team was able to develop an abbreviated, one-page Class I Suitable Substitute ECP. This ECP is an expedited Class I that was completed in 10 days for $1,700, a significant cost savings from the average $300 thousand ECP.
Approval of the Suitable Substitute ECP
The Suitable Substitute ECP can be a Class I or Class II. The fleet requests AM support through the AM IPT, which in turn works on a technical solution and seeks approval from both the FST and the supporting program office. Once an ECP is finalized, it is loaded into the NAVAIR Enterprise Change Management (ECM), the command’s online CM tool for review.
In the case of the UH-1Y rescue hoist chain guard cover, PMA-276 uploaded the ECP along with the TDP produced by the AM IPT. The Suitable Substitute ECP was loaded into the ECM on August 12. CM reviewers had all the information needed to determine that the hoist chain covers were an ideal part for the Suitable Substitute ECP process, and less than two weeks later, the program office received the first Suitable Substitute ECP implementation letter.
Benefits to the Warfighter
The UH-1Y rescue hoist chain guard cover is not a critical part of the aircraft, which also makes it an ideal candidate for the Suitable Substitute ECP. With the approved implementation letter, the FST initiated the process of updating the maintenance manuals to include the AM part as an approved alternate. When an H-1 squadron tries to order the original part and learns there will be a long delay, they will have the information required to order the AM part from their supporting Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron (MALS). Each MALS has some AM capability, and some 3D printers can be deployed with MEUs. The expeditionary printers can be operated in a controlled environment and the chain cover can be provided to the deployed fleet in a matter of days. Historically, the fleet experienced up to a year for this replacement part because it’s often not in stock when needed.
“Due to the low requisition demand for the item, the supply system did not keep assets on the supply shelves so each time a new requisition would come in, supply would need to get a purchase request in place creating acquisition and product lead times before the fleet requisition could be filled,” explained Mike Medlin, the H-1 FST Lead Engineer. “Now we can print covers and provide them to the squadron in less than a week.”
PMA-276’s H-1 Sustainment Assistant Program Manager for Systems Engineering, Joe Risalek, said this new manufacturing process is a welcomed improvement to support the Marine Corps. “This was a team effort, and it is exciting to have a Get Real Get Better victory for the fleet as we continue to advance AM capability. NAVAIR exists to support the warfighter so everything we do should be helping them.”
The chain guard covers will be produced on an as-needed basis, with the expectation of five to seven covers to be printed each year.
PMA-276 manages the cradle to grave procurement, development, support, fielding, and disposal of the Marine Corps rotary wing close air support, anti-armor, armed escort, armed/visual reconnaissance, and fire support program systems.
