DLA Disposition Services helps troops in Afghanistan pack lighter

Courtesy Photo | A Marine field tests a compact T-Hawk UAV system. The new carrying case was created to ease space constraints inside their tactical vehicles and constructed out of a plastic case and wire racks found in the DLA Disposition Services yard at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan. (Photo by Todd Patterson)  

KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN

01.10.2012

Courtesy Story

Defense Logistics Agency   

By J. Elise Van Pool
Defense Logistics Agency

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Units going out on patrol often face severe space limitations inside their vehicles. After communications equipment and the soldiers themselves, there is limited space for the additional tools that give them the edge of the battlefield.

Units going out on patrol often face severe space limitations inside their vehicles. After communications equipment and the Soldiers themselves, there is limited space for the additional tools that give them the edge of the battlefield.

"You look at an [Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle] and think, 'I could play football in there,'" said Todd Patterson, an unmanned aerial vehicle field service representative at Camp Leatherneck, Afghanistan.

But the reality is often the opposite, he said, which left units wanting to bring the T-Hawk – a small unmanned aerial surveillance system – on patrol in a bit of a bind.

Army Spc. William Morgan, of 571st Engineer Company, wrote to Patterson asking if smaller boxes could be made for the T-Hawk, which allows units to gather aerial intelligence on nearby areas in real time. The boxes that were built for T-Hawks were often too big for MRAPs.

Patterson and Morgan designed a carrying system that allows the T-Hawk to be operated out of a smaller box with one electrical outlet and without additional assembly.

Once the new box was designed, the DLA Disposition Services site at Camp Leatherneck became a source for the resourceful. Starting with a plastic case and metal racks taken from broken air conditioning units found in the DLA Disposition Services yard, Patterson and Morgan fashioned a new carrying case based on their design. The end product was small enough to easily fit in an MRAP, allowing troops to run the T-Hawks without extra reassembly time and from one electrical outlet.

"It allows the units to use this organic [unmanned aerial vehicle]," Patterson said. "It's really changing things for the guys. Now they have a small portable option."

The new cases also help prevent wear and tear on the systems since they reduce the need for constant reassembly.

Patterson has helped other units construct carrying cases for their T-Hawk systems, even designing one that can be carried as a backpack. He and the other T-Hawk field service representative have also begun teaching students to build new carrying cases during the operator's course.

Patterson said it's all about helping Soldiers and Marines get the most of their equipment.

"You just have to think outside the box, or think inside the box for this one," he said.

• Date Taken: 01.10.2012
• Date Posted: 01.11.2012 16:29
• Story ID: 82281
• Location: KANDAHAR, AF