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TOBYHANNA, Pennsylvania -- A reengineering effort at Tobyhanna Army Depot (TYAD) is bringing new life to the M139 Volcano – a mine dispensing system originally fielded in the 1990s.
The M139 Volcano is a mass scatterable mine delivery system that can be mounted to a helicopter or ground vehicle. The system’s four launcher racks enable tactical commanders to emplace a minefield in as little as 20 seconds (from air) with a minimum of personnel, and is highly effective in laying barriers to protect assets and personnel, while also providing terrain-shaping capability. Volcano has the power to enhance warfighter readiness – and the U.S. Army is reviving the system for the modern battlefront.
Andrew Woetzel, Program Manager, Close Combat Systems (PM CSS), Program Executive Office Ammo, was enlisted to support Volcano through the Service Life Extension Program, which aims to extend the operational service life of the system by 15-20 years.
A legacy system from the Persian Gulf War, Volcano presented some challenges in being ready for the present day warfighter. The system’s mine launcher racks are controlled by Dispenser Control Units (DCUs). The Circuit Card Assemblies (CCAs) that power the DCUs are in short supply, due to a high failure rate from age and environmental impacts, and many of the CCA components are no longer in existence.
Well-acquainted with the quality of work performed at TYAD, Mr. Alvin Toy, Volcano Team Lead at Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, contacted the depot’s Sustainment Planning Division (SPD) and a new life for the Volcano program at TYAD began to take shape.
“I am amazed at the personal level of commitment to the warfighter that both Mark Sgobba and Tracy Kraftchisin have,” Toy said.
Tracy Kraftchisin, logistics management specialist, SPD, discussed TYAD’s capabilities and coordinated a visit to support the Business Case Analysis for the Volcano program. She was confident that TYAD engineers could assist with the obsolescence issues associated with critical system components for the circuit card assemblies.
“This was an opportunity to showcase TYADs test engineering, design development capabilities and overhaul to expand continuous sustainment to the Volcano program ensuring support to Army readiness,” said Kraftchisin. “This workload supports Army Futures Command Precision Fires Cross Functional Team and presented an opportunity for Team Tobyhanna.”
After conducting a Business Case Analysis at TYAD, Woetzel agreed with Kraftchisin.
“Clearly, Tobyhanna has the skill sets for the electronics and computer-related aspects to address these issues,” Woetzel said.
Mark Sgobba, an electronics engineer, dove into problem solving for the new program as the Lead Engineer. He began by conducting an obsolescence and producibility analysis to show that TYAD could support the electrical and mechanical fabrication, assembly, inspection and testing of the DCUs for Volcano.
“The question was ‘Can you make circuit cards?’ And the answer is, ‘Absolutely, we have the capability,’” said Sgobba.
Sgobba worked to identify new sources of supply for the hard-to-find electronics components of the CCAs.
“I had to find a programmer with the ability to read the CPU components’ code and verify it against the original devices to reprogram the new devices,” said Sgobba. He also developed a screening program for components ensuring that each item meets the unit’s requirements. Sgobba coordinated with another vendor, who agreed to start producing the connectors needed for the assemblies.
“Due to the age of the Volcano system, it was apparent that a majority of the existing DCU CCAs would require repairs or even complete replacement,” said Sgobba.
To determine if units would be repaired or replaced, TYAD’s Test Engineering Branch and newly constructed Automated Test Equipment (ATE) Center combined capabilities and resources to develop incoming and final system-level functional verification testing for all Volcano systems and sub-assemblies. Test Engineering also developed and implemented in-circuit and continuity testing, as well as other ATE driven validation.
With parts suppliers identified and functional validation testing supported, a dedicated space in the Engineering Analysis and Solutions Laboratory (EASL) at TYAD was recently renovated to accommodate the Volcano program. Sgobba began specifying/acquiring the equipment needed.
William Rumble, an electronics technician in the EASL, was enlisted to the program to assist with the implementation of DCU CCA repair & fabrication processes. Rumble’s focus is on improving and documenting processes, which assists in training.
“You don’t have a process until it’s thoroughly documented,” said Rumble.
The capability to support circuit card requirements allows TYAD to support warfighter readiness more efficiently than ever before.
Going forward, Sgobba anticipates dwindling availability of the electronic components needed to support the system, and is working towards design alternatives to re-hosting Volcano mission software on a new platform to address these limitations.
Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna’s Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C5ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.
Tobyhanna’s unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our joint warfighters.
About 4,000 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, Maryland, the command’s mission is to empower the Soldier with winning C5ISR capabilities.
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.22.2020 15:14 |
| Story ID: | 385548 |
| Location: | TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, PA, US |
| Web Views: | 363 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Tobyhanna’s new test-engineering capabilities revive Volcano, by Mary K. Nolan, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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