LAKEHURST, N.J. –
Thanks to team members from the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst, New Jersey, the fleet restocked its supply of release elements, a critical safety item needed to launch C-2 Greyhounds and E-2 Hawkeyes from an aircraft carrier. With the help of more than 50 people, the fleet maintained its ability to launch the airborne and coordination aircraft from the decks of aircraft carriers worldwide.
In the middle of Fiscal Year 2024, In-Service Engineering (ISE) reported a critical shortage of this item, with none expected and no qualified vendors or active procurements available. Fortunately, Lakehurst’s Prototype and Manufacturing Division (PMD) worked quickly to develop organic manufacturing capabilities, working with ISE, the Materials Engineering Lab, and its own artisans and quality assurance specialists to qualify as a supplier and deliver hundreds of the items in a relatively short timeframe.
“We successfully navigated that process, culminating in engineering approval as an authorized supply source. PMD was immediately contracted to manufacture 600 units for the Defense Logistics Agency, which were successfully completed and delivered within three months,” said project team lead Doug MacKenzie. “We are gearing up to increase production for 2025 and beyond and expect to be a primary source of release elements to the fleet for years to come.”
The initial 600-unit order, a mere fraction of the more than 3,700 expected to be delivered in 2025, was successfully completed by PMD, during a process that included acquiring the raw materials, programing CNC machines for this specific task, developing heat treating techniques, refining tensile testing processes, and establishing inspection methods, showcasing their ability to handle large-scale production.
“Within PMD, we typically manufacture in smaller quantities, so to take on a production-scale job like this is a change of pace and a stress test of our processes and procedures,” MacKenzie added. “I knew this would be a great chance to prove ourselves. Hopefully, the lessons we learn from this effort will lead to more opportunities.”
