CHAPTER 9 AMMUNITION HANDLING EQUIPMENT

How you handle aviation ammunition depends on the time, place, and situation. The ammunition and explosives handling task is hazardous. Equipment is designed so you can safely handle ammunition in any given situation. This includes railroad, industrial, and automotive equipment used for transporting ammunition. It also includes equipment used to manually handle ammunition, such as skids, pallets, carriers, and aircraft loading equipment.

Often, the equipment you use to handle ammunition afloat and ashore is the same. However, differences in stowage accommodations, fixed installations, working areas, and space limitations require the use of equipment and techniques especially designed for the job. Regardless of the situation, only use the equipment designed for a particular task and approved by NAVSEASYSCOM or NAVAIRSYSCOM.

You can identify the command that has control over a particular item of ammunition handling equipment by the item designation. If the item is identified by Mark and Mod number designations, NAVSEASYSCOM controls it. If the item is identified by designations, such as Aero, ADU, ADK, and HLK, NAVAIRSYSCOM controls it.

The number and availability of different ammunition handling equipment configuratiom are extremely large. The equipment that is routinely used by most of the operating units (ashore and afloat) is discussed in the following paragraphs. You can find a complete listing and description of approved handling equipment in Approved Handling Equipment for Weapons and Explosives, NAVSEA OP 2173, Volume 1 (NAVAIR 19-100-1.1) and Volume 2 (NAVAIR 19-100-1.2).

ARMAMENT WEAPONS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the categories and subcategories of armament weapons support equipment.

Armament weapons support equipment (AWSE) is support equipment required on the ground. The AWSE is classified as either common or peculiar and maybe avionics or nonavionics. There are three subcategories (fig. 9-1), armament support equipment (ASE), weapons support equipment (WSE), and logistics support equipment (LSE).

ARMAMENT SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

The ASE includes all equipment whose primary function is to support the installed aircraft systems and is used primarily by an aircraft intermediate maintenance department or squadron.

Armament Handling Equipment includes special tools used to support the aircraft in providing handling, movement, installation, configuration, arming, loading and downloading of air-launched weapons, airborne armament systems, or weapon related components. Armament handling equipment includes bomb hoists, single hoist loading systems, weapon loaders, boresights, and special tools used to remove, replace, repair, test, assemble, or service aircraft bomb racks, missile launchers, installed machine guns, or gun pod units.

WEAPONS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

The WSE includes all equipment whose primary function is to support explosive ordnance components or weapons. The WSE is divided into two categories, weapons handling equipment and weapons test equipment.

Weapons Handling Equipment includes both peculiar and common ordnance handling and transportation equipment, as well as tools used for canning and decanning, magazine handling, and assembly of weapons or ordnance-related commodities. The WSE includes hoisting beams, weapons carriers, strongbacks, handlift trucks, weapon skids, trailers, bomb trucks (nonself-powered), and their associated weapons assembly tables, maintenance stands, and other weapon-related equipment. The WSE supports both air- and surface-launched weapons.

LOGISTICS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT

The LSE consists of equipment used for packaging, bulk handling storage, or stowage and transportation of

Figure 9-1.-Armament weapons support equipment breakdown.

weapons and weapon components within the weapon ^{logistics cycle.} LSE includes weapons packaging equipment ship loading or underway replenishment equipment, installed shipboard or shore-based equipment, and industrial materials handling equipment.

Weapons Packaging Equipment consists of missile containers, pallets, boxes, and fleet-issue unit loads that contain ordnance and ancillary equipment,

Ship Loading and Underway Replenishment

Equipment consists of connected replenishment slings, vertical replenishment pole pendants, spreader bars, beams, missile transfer dollies, etc.

Installed Shipboard or Shore-Based Equipment

includes dunnaging, C-grabs, birail or monorail hoist, tie-downs, davits, bomb elevators, conveyors, and other fixed or moveable handling equipment.

Industrial Material Handling Equipment

includes forklifts, warehouse tractors, pallet trucks, platform trucks, etc.

PALLETS

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the purpose and use of pallets to include safe loads.

A pallet is a wood or metal platform used to stack material for movement from one area to another. You use pallets to store and handle bombs, cartridge tanks, projectiles, rocket containers, rocket heads, rocket motors, and unit loads. When live ammunition and explosives are involved, use metal pallets. Metal pallets are more durable than wood pallets, are not subject to warping, and do not present a fire hazard,