TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- A new mission here supporting the Navy's ability to defend itself is on schedule and growing. Team Tobyhanna technicians met with Naval Surface Warfare Center experts two years ago, to outline a program to refurbish components of the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) MK-49 Guided Missile Launching System.
The launchers, found on aircraft carriers, amphibious ships and littoral combat ships, fire lightweight, quick-reaction, fire-and-forget missiles designed to destroy anti-ship cruise missiles and asymmetric air and surface threats.
"In general, there are two launchers per ship," said Jim Ratowski, a Mobile Depot Maintenance team chief from the C4ISR Finishing Division. "We've been working on them here and now we're accomplishing repairs aboard ship. We're on schedule."
Systems Integration and Support Directorate technicians began working with personnel from the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division in Port Hueneme, California to define the three levels of refurbishment that Tobyhanna actively supports; the On Ship Refurbishment Program (OSRP), the Rapid Turnaround Program (RTAP) and the Launcher Material Enhancement Program (LMEP).
Work is done at the depot in the C4ISR Finishing Center and at Navy bases under the Mobile Depot Maintenance program.
The RTAP and LMEP programs are launcher maintenance efforts done at Tobyhanna Army Depot. Launchers are removed from the ship, transported to Tobyhanna, serviced, then returned and re-installed aboard ship. The LMEP effort is the most invasive -- designed to identify and treat all evidence of corrosion and refurbish or replace a number of components. The RTAP effort typically requires a shorter turnaround time, and is not as comprehensive as an LMEP.
"The difference in the RTAP and LMEP programs is that for the RTAP, we replace parts as needed; for the LMEP, the customer directs us to replace parts," said Michael McDermott, a sandblaster in the System Preparation Branch. "Some systems are degraded due to the harsh at-sea environment and need parts replacement."
Tobyhanna has enhanced support for both the RTAP and LMEP programs through RAM Guided Missile Launch Systems cable repair and fabrication along with servo motor and slip ring service and repair.
The OSRP entails a Mobile Depot Maintenance team refurbishing the launcher and the launcher foundation aboard ship.
Technicians working the mission have noted that although the launcher is mostly corrosion-resistant aluminum with some steel, corrosion is the biggest problem due to the ships being at sea for extended periods of time. They have replaced everything from cables to doors.
At Tobyhanna, once launcher components are finished, they are stored in shrink wrap and shipped when needed.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna's Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C4ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna's unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, technology insertion, modification, and global field support to warfighters.
About 3,200 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.
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