TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. - Tobyhanna Army Depot is a key player in the Reset and upgrade of systems central to air and missile defense in the tactical theater.
Technicians in the depot's Command and Control Systems Branch Reset the systems to prepare them for upgrade by the original equipment manufacturer. The branch is part of the C3/Avionics Directorate's Command, Control and Computer Systems Division.
The system, the AN/TSQ-232 Tactical Command System, is in Air Defense and Airspace Management (ADAM Cell) format and is composed of a shelter mounted on a humvee. Components include radios, asynchronous routers, global positioning and computers.
The mobile system combines the Forward Area Air Defense, the Air Defense System Integrator, the Air Missile Defense Work Stations and the Tactical Airspace Integration System into one platform.
It is used to coordinate air defense for all aircraft and missile defense systems, including Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and the Patriot, Chaparral and the Air Defense/Anti-Tank surface-to-air missiles systems. The system also acts as a link for Army airspace command and control operations.
"After a system comes in, we remove all the components, including the ECU (Environmental Control Unit) and send them to various subcontractors for Reset," said Kathy Beers, shop leader.
"Tobyhanna resets the HMMWV, shelter and ECU. Sub contractors Reset the radios, computers and other components. All other components are sent to the PMs prime contractor for reintegration or to the contractor's warehouse for future use."
"We have been depopulating, packing and shipping components in two or three days," said Bruno Rocuba. Reset is returning equipment to the condition it was prior to deployment to support future requirements.
AN/TSQ-232 Reset includes repair and restoration of the shelter and HMMWV to include paint. The shops that Reset the humvee and the shelter itself are part of the Systems Integration and Support Directorate.
"We modify the shelters to prepare them for upgrade," said Juan Benavides, electronics worker in the Command and Control Systems Branch. "We install a modification kit so the shelter can be mounted to an armored vehicle if needed."
The shelter is remounted on the humvee and then sent to the contractor's facility for completion. Lori Moyer, electronics worker, said the most difficult part of the mission was inventory tracking.
"When the project first began, the parts list and descriptions did not always match the PMs web site that was created just for this mission and is maintained by the original equipment manufacturer. We are responsible for obtaining and entering the quantity, serial numbers for each item, when it was shipped, tracking information and receipt signatures. This data is updated daily and saved on file so we maintain an ongoing history for all assets."
Production Engineering Directorate personnel designed a new dolly to move the shelter, noted Jerry Dougher, chief of the Command, Control and Computer Systems Division. The dolly was built by Systems Integration and Support Directorate technicians.
Mechanical Engineer Don Cook said although the dolly works, an improved one is being designed. Tobyhanna was required to complete Resets in 60 days, but has been able to shorten that turn around time in most cases.
Beers credits hard work and the incorporation of Lean techniques, which has increased efficiency. Tobyhanna Army Depot is the Defense Department's largest center for the repair, overhaul and fabrication of a wide variety of electronics systems and components, from tactical field radios to the ground terminals for the defense satellite communications network.
Tobyhanna's missions support all branches of the Armed Forces. About 5,800 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 CECOM Life Cycle Management Command. Headquartered at Fort Monmouth, N.J., 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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