ARMY ROTORCRAFT FLIGHT SAFETY PARTS ALTERNATE SOURCE QUALIFICATION

U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command (ATCOM) has established a unique program at Dayton T. Brown, Inc. (DTB) dedicated to the alternate source qualification of rotorcraft flight safety parts. The rotorcraft components/assemblies targeted by the U.S. Army in this alternate source qualification program encompass items from the rotor system, flight controls, airframe, and drive system. U.S. Army rotorcraft weapon platforms currently supported by this program include the AH-t Cobra, AH-64 Apache, CH-47 Chinook, UH-1 Huey, UH-60 Blackhawk, and OH-58 Kiowa. The objective of this paper will be to describe the program start up, basic testing philosophies, qualification processes, and facilities which have been established by ATCOM and DTB to qualify alternate source flight safety parts. The technical approach, progress to date, and some interesting case studies illustrating the qualification process will be presented. Finally, based on the experiences to date, conclusions and recommendations for program improvements and future qualification considerations will be presented.