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CROP

Small business qualifier Summa Technology Inc. in Huntsville, AL received the full delivery order amount on a $5.8 million firm-fixed-price sole-source contract for Container Roll-in-Out Platform (CROP) Units. Work will be performed in Cullman, AL and is expected to be complete by Dec. 30, 2008. The U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, MI issued the contract (DAAE07-03-D-S019).

The M3 containerized roll-in/out platform (CROP) is an A-frame type flatrack which fits inside a 20-ft ISO container. A container handling unit (CHU) enables self-loading PLS trucks to pick up and transport ISO containers without using a flatrack. The U.S. Army’s improved battlefield distribution concept is predicated on several key technological platform enablers, including CROP:

• The palletized loading system (PLS), a truck-based, self-contained materials-handling system engineered to transport, drop, and retrieve flatrack loads, sometimes even via an integrated variable-reach MHC (materials handling crane). The prime mover truck and trailer form a self-contained system that loads and unloads its cargo without the need for forklifts or other material handling equipment. Without leaving the cab, the driver can load or unload the truck in less than one minute, and both truck and trailer in less than five minutes.

• The container handling unit (CHU) uses the same technology as the PLS to drop, retrieve, and transport 20-foot containers.

• The container roll in-out platform (CROP), noted above, is compatible with PLS and other load-handling systems, It reduces transloading and materials-handling times significantly, enhancing the throughput of supplies, and increasing logistics velocity.

• The movement tracking system (MTS) is a satellite-based communication system that uses global positioning technology to track and control transportation assets anywhere in the world.

• The forward repair system-heavy (FRS-H) is a self-contained, multicapable, heavy repair system consisting of an ensemble of hand and power tools, welding and cutting equipment, an air compressor, a 50-kilowatt generator set, and a 5½-ton crane carried on a PLS vehicle chassis.

These physical assets have combined with a number of electronics systems to change battlefield logistics.

Additional Readings

• Army Logistician (Jan-Feb 1999) – Extending the Logistics Revolution at the Operational and Tactical Levels
• Quartermaster Professional Bulletin (Winter 1999) – Class IX Flow on the Force XXI Battlefield – Corps to Forward Support Company