The US Army’s Mobile Parts Hospitals
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TV taught us what a “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital” was, but a “Mobile Parts Hospital”? Like a MASH unit that can go wherever it is needed, the MPH is designed as a front line resource for patching things up – but it is for machines, not men. Since their initial deployment in 2003, the MPHs have fabricated more than 100,000 replacement parts, replacement components, and special tools.
As Maj. Andris Ikstrums, 1st Battalion, 402nd Army Field Support Brigade support operations officer, puts it:
“These guys can manufacture parts in a matter of minutes that normally have more than a 60-day lead time if ordered from the States.”
That improves readiness rates, and also saves money. In one case, a socket for a rotor brake seal on an Apache AH-64D rear rotor was designed and manufactured by an MPH team, in order to eliminate shipping the rear rotor back to the States for a depot-level rebuild. Estimated savings? About $393,000.
The primary MPH unit is housed in an 8-foot-tall by 8-foot-wide by 20-foot-long ISO container that can be transported on a truck, ship or C-130 Hercules aircraft.
Contracts & Key Events
March 29/10: Honeywell Technology Solutions, Inc. in Columbia, MD received a $8 million time-and-material contract for sustainment of the Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH) in Southwest Asia.
Work will be performed in Sterling Heights, MI (16.6%), and Southwest Asia (83.4%), with an estimated completion date of March 22/11. One bid was solicited with one bid received by TACOM Rock Island, CCTA-AR-FB in Rock Island, IL (W56HZV-10-C-0279).
June 8/09: Alion Science and Technology in McLean, VA receives a $1.5 million U.S. Army task order to build a new containerized Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH) to manufacture vehicle parts in theater. So far, 3 MPH systems are in use in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan to provide vehicle replacement parts to troops on the move.
Alion is building the newest MPH for the under the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive Command (TACOM) Life Cycle Management Command’s Industrial Base Operations Directorate. The contract (W31P4Q-08-D-0049) period of performance runs through September 30/09. Alion will perform the work at its manufacturing facility in Mount Clemens, MI. Alion release.
Nov 24/08: Alion Science and Technology announces a contract worth up to $77 million, to develop just-in-time solutions for military vehicle, aircraft and equipment parts and systems. All military services may use this indefinite delivery/ indefinite quantity (IDIQ) vehicle to address similar priorities. The period of performance began Oct 1/08, and runs through Sept 30/13. So far, 5 task orders under the contract, including solutions for the Army, Navy and Army National Guard have already been awarded, with a total value of about $6 million.
The “Manufacturing Process Technologies for Military Equipment Replacement on Demand”contract was awarded by the US Army Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal, and is is an outgrowth of the Mobile Parts Hospital (MPH). This contract focuses on the military’s urgent need for hard-to-acquire and problem parts and systems for the sustainment and refurbishment, or “reset,” of critical equipment, including vehicles, aircraft and other gear. Alion will develop and deliver solutions to produce parts on demand that help return the equipment to service, and may re-engineer essential parts to reduce costs and give the equipment a longer useful life. Alion Senior Vice President and Manager of the Technology Solutions Group, Chris Amos:
“Alion’s approach allows the military to rapidly find solutions to nagging problems of availability, to acquire items that are needed in small quantities, or get replacements for parts that are no longer available.”
Additional Readings & Sources
- US Army (May 21/09) – Mobile Parts Hospitals resuscitate broken gear
