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How a one-of-a-kind Army unit keeps US aircraft flying and fighting in the Middle East
How a one-of-a-kind Army unit keeps US aircraft flying and fighting in the Middle East
Spc. Dakota Vanidestine, US ArmyFeb 21, 2020, 20:20 IST
US ArmySoldiers of the 1107th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group work on a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at Camp Buehring, Kuwait, January 28, 2020.
Soldiers from the the 1107th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group in Kuwait perform aircraft repairs that other units are unable to handle.
Without them, most of the aircraft they repair would have to go all the way back to the US to be fixed.
One maintenance group located in the Middle East takes on repairs that others cannot, and their impact on sustainment operations is paramount.
The soldiers of the 1107th Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group (TASMG) located at Camp Buehring, Kuwait are required to take on high level repairs that are necessary to maintaining sustainment operations in the US Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility (AOR).
The 1107th TASMG take on repairs that others in theater are not equipped to handle.
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"We are responsible to any maintenance that is not in the technical manual," said Sgt. 1st Class Darrell Flannery, UH-60 mechanic, 1107th TASMG. "Other units are not trained to take on the type of repairs that we make - that is what makes our job so important."
Without the capabilities of the 1107th TASMG, most aircraft that they repair would have to go back to the US.
"Almost all of the aircrafts that we repair require high level maintenance that could only be done in the US otherwise," said Flannery. "We are able to expedite that process due to our training, capabilities, and location here in the Middle East."
Those training, capabilities, and the location of the 1107th TASMG became pivotal when the 82nd Airborne Division was called into action.
"During the 82nd's arrival to theater, we offloaded four CH-47s (Chinooks), eight AH-64s (Apaches), and 10 UH-60s (Black Hawks)," said Flannery. "Each aircraft took about two days to service, which included reassembly, maintenance checks, and then receiving permissions to fly."
Although the work got done, the 82nd's arrival did not come without challenges.
"Coordinating with the Air Force to bring the 82nd into theater was a challenge because the offload process is different," said Flannery. "The determining factor of success for us was our communication and coordination with their key leaders to get our equipment prepositioned for their arrival."
The work of the 1107th TASMG plays an imperative role on sustainment operations.
"Without our ability to make the high level repairs that we do, sustainment operations would suffer," said Flannery. "Our main focus is to ensure that the 1st Theater Sustainment Command's air power remains ready to carry out all necessary sustainment operations in the CENTCOM AOR at all times."
The work of a small group located in the Middle East goes a long way to ensure that soldiers through the CENTCOM AOR have everything that they need to carry out their mission.
