Fighting FOD in Balad

Courtesy Photo | Maj. Mathew Jefson inspects an old runway patch that has become cracked and damaged at Balad Air Base, Iraq, May 19, 2006. The Air Force along with contractors and the Army Corp. of Engineers are working to replace this section of runway. The runway had extensive damage that was causing it to break apart and create foreign object debris. More than one thousand meters of the runway will be replaced, as well as an update to the airfield lighting system. Maj. Jefson is a project manager for the Central Air Force's Construction Management Office. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Brian Ferguson)  

BALAD, IRAQ

05.22.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

By Staff Sgt. Paul J. Gonzalez

BALAD AIR BASE (AFPN) - The Air Force, along with the Army Corp of Engineers and civilian contractors, is repairing a section of the runway here that is cracking and beginning to show signs of decay.

The runway was not designed to accommodate heavy aircraft such as the C-5 Galaxy and the C-17 Globemaster III. The aircraft have taken a toll on the previously patched runway damaged during the first stages of the war, said Maj. Matthew Jefson, Central Air Construction Management Office project manager.

"What we have done is come in and remove the entire pavement," Jefson said. "We have gone all the way down and even removed some of the sub-grade, putting in a new surface for a runway that will be twice as thick as the old one."

Transforming Balad Air Base from a former Iraqi fighter base to major hub for all types of military and civilian aircraft has posed many challenges particularly when it came to foreign object damage.

"FOD issues were terrible," Jefson said. "There were four major bomb craters on the runway that were repaired expediently by engineering units so the runway could be operational. This project is a full in-depth repair."

Replacing this section of runway as well as constructing new helicopter pads and cargo staging areas has decreased FOD substantially.

"Previously, the runway had to shutdown for four hours a day so maintenance crews could repair the joints coming up and causing FOD," Jefson said. He said the runway project will eliminate this problem.

Currently, crews are replacing a major section of runway about 3,500 feet long by 100 feet wide.

"The engineers have to lay almost three times the amount of concrete to accommodate the larger aircraft," Jefson said. When completed, this section will add up to 66 thousand cubic meters of concrete, enough to lay a road 25 to 30 miles long.

The project is scheduled to be completed in August. Until then, everyone involved with the runway will continue fighting FOD using 24-hour street sweepers and constant vigilance by flight line personnel.

• Date Taken: 05.22.2006
• Date Posted: 05.22.2006 13:53
• Story ID: 6464
• Location: BALAD, IQ