With capable maintenance personnel and a dry desert climate, YPG has often been the final working home of venerable military equipment.
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.
Eventually, however, a system that no longer has an Army-wide parts system or support structure must be phased out. 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.
The move is bittersweet to YPG pilots. The Huey was an iconic airframe of the Vietnam War, and has served as workhorse of the proving ground's air fleet for decades. 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.
"We like the Huey because it is a simple, analog aircraft," said Ralph Arnold, chief pilot. "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. It's easy to fly."
The purpose of YPG's helicopters- supporting tests- means modifications to the standard airframe are necessary to meet the mission. Each modification requires airworthiness evaluation and releases to ensure the aircraft functions safely, a time-consuming process. From specialized equipment racks inside the airframe to camera and sensor mounts on the exterior, YPG airfield personnel over the years have made more than 50 different modifications to various Hueys in the fleet. Now, they are currently undertaking the same process to modify the recently acquired Blackhawks.
"We plan to have all the basic modifications we need to do our basic mission," said Arnold. "Of course, whenever a new test comes, we'll modify as necessary for that test, and when the test is over we'll de-modify it."
Toward this end, one of the four Blackhawks meant to join YPG's fleet travelled to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, to get a modification on its electrical system, and various equipment racks and camera mounts installed as two YPG mechanics observed the process. These mechanics then returned to YPG to modify the remaining three as they arrive.
Though they regret losing the Hueys, the airfield's pilots are excited about the capabilities the newer Blackhawk brings to the mission.
"It is much faster than a Huey and will carry a lot more," said Arnold, who flew several thousand hours in the UH-60 during his military career. "It climbs faster, descends faster, returns faster."
Sporting two engines and four blades on its main rotor, the Blackhawk can seat more personnel than the single-engine, twin-bladed Huey, and has a maximum load weight of 22,000 pounds compared to the smaller Huey's 9,500 pound limit. It also has more-modern digital controls that didn't exist when the Huey entered service.
"The Huey may as well be a backhoe: it's all levers," said Doug Bradford, pilot. "The Blackhawk has automated flight control that will hold an attitude. It's like hitting cruise control in your car: you still have to steer, but you don't have to adjust your speed."
The first Blackhawk to arrive at YPG was manufactured in 1988, and thus already has a good start on becoming the next venerable aircraft to enjoy a lengthy working retirement at the Army's premier testing facility.
"We don't treat them bad or misuse them or abuse them while we're flying our tests," observed Arnold of the Huey. "They last a long time. It's a testament to our mechanics who keep them in good shape."
It is likely the same will be true of the Blackhawk.
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