Each modification requires airworthiness evaluation and releases to ensure the aircraft functions safely, a time-consuming process. The purpose of YPG's helicopters- supporting tests- means modifications to the standard airframe are necessary to meet the mission. "There's not a lot of things that can go wrong with it: It is very reliable and has performed its mission for almost 50 years. "We like the Huey because it is a simple, analog aircraft," said Ralph Arnold, chief pilot. The same airframe that supported testing of the Global Positioning System at YPG in the late 1970s is still used for state-of-the-art testing today, and each of the four Hueys currently in the proving ground's fleet has been remarkably well maintained. The Huey was an iconic airframe of the Vietnam War, and has served as workhorse of the proving ground's air fleet for decades. It happened to the O-2 aircraft in 2010, and now the UH-1 Iroquois helicopter, better known as the Huey, will soon join the list: The venerable airframe is being replaced in YPG's fleet by four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters.
With capable maintenance personnel and a dry desert climate, YPG has often been the final working home of venerable military equipment.įrom Korean War-era M101 howitzers to the Vietnam era O-2 Skymaster observation airplane, a variety of rugged platforms have supported YPG's test mission long after they had been eclipsed on the battlefield.Įventually, however, a system that no longer has an Army-wide parts system or support structure must be phased out.
Eventually, however, a system that no lon.
From Korean War-era M101 howitzers to the Vietnam era O-2 Skymaster observation airplane, a variety of rugged platforms have supported YPG's test mission long after they had been eclipsed on the battlefield.
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