Corpus Christi Army Depot celebrated 56 years of aviation maintenance support to the U.S. Army on March 10.
Since opening its doors on this day in 1961 as the U.S. Army's first aviation maintenance facility, CCAD has grown to become the service's largest globally-engaged rotary wing maintenance, overhaul and repair facility.
During the Vietnam War, the Army has called on CCAD to deliver rotary wing products and expertise to meet every conflict and mission, providing highly-trained and ready artisans and capabilities to meet the military needs of the Nation.
The 56th anniversary marks the first day Army had its own aircraft maintenance facility. Before then, they relied on Navy, Air Force and private industry for their aircraft overhaul and repair.
CCAD was originally named the U.S. Army Transportation Aeronautical Depot Maintenance Center, or ARADMAC (it would not get its current name until 1974).
In its earliest days the depot took up only 15 acres of land on Naval Air Station Corpus Christi.
The depot moved into the existing World War II-era hangars and buildings inherited from the Navy and was operational by April 21.
The new facility allowed the Army to provide the necessary support for combat-essential equipment in the event of a national emergency. Also, it provided a technical on-the-job training base for military personnel in depot maintenance of aeronautical equipment.
In their first year, the depot hired a workforce, set up shop, laid out a production plan and overhauled 28 Army aircraft and 153 engines.
Also, during the first full recorded year of operation--from July 1, 1961 to June 30, 1962--the depot turned out six fixed-wing aircraft, 40 helicopters, 756 engines and 6,673 components.
The Vietnam War transformed ARADMAC. Its first mission encompassed overhaul and repair of all Army aircraft, to include fixed and rotary wing. But, as the Army's helicopter inventory and need for component work surged through the '60s, the depot adapted its mission as an exclusively rotary wing maintenance facility.
With the specialized workload, the depot outgrew its original infrastructure as helicopters circled back from each mission for repair. Capabilities expanded with each innovation engineered on the shop floor. Many common processes used in Army rotary wing maintenance got their start at the Corpus Christi Army Depot and that legacy continues to grow.
CCAD now occupies approximately 2.6 million square feet of industrial space on 158 acres as the largest tenant on NASCC, and the largest helicopter depot-level maintenance repair and overhaul in the world.
CCAD is rising to meet the changing operational environment by increasing aviation readiness through increased efficiency, materiel forecasting and workload predictability.
The depot is currently supporting aviation readiness through overhaul, repair, modification, recapitalization, retrofit, testing and modernization of helicopters, engines and components for UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook, AH-64 Apache and the Air Force HH-60 Pave Hawk.
This optimally positions current defense aviation systems for success as it delivers rotary wing support and capabilities to meet the military needs of the Nation.
The workforce celebrated CCAD's 56th birthday on March 10th with a cake-cutting ceremony to give everyone a chance to celebrate. Col. Allan H. Lanceta, the depot commander thanked the workforce for their hard work and congratulated them on nearly six decades of outstanding performance.
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