CHERRY POINT, N.C. –
Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) recently hosted a training exercise designed to sharpen the skills of a Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Forward-Deployed Combat Repair (FDCR) team that travels to deployed and combat locations and repairs battle-damaged military aircraft.
Seven members of the NAVAIR Reserve FDCR team visited FRCE May 12 through 16 to train alongside the depot’s FDCR teams. During the visit, they conducted hands-on repairs to damaged airframes, including an MV-22 Osprey and a CH-53E Super Stallion. FRCE supported the training event with aircraft and a cross-disciplinary team of engineers, planners, estimators and artisans who are assigned to the FDCR mission to follow the Reservists’ guidance and execute the repairs.
The training exercise resembled situations the team is likely to encounter while supporting the warfighter during an actual deployment. The exercise is designed to develop a working relationship between the depot’s artisans and Naval Reservists assigned to the FDCR team, increase the Reservists’ knowledge and experience while deployed, and enhance the artisans’ aircraft maintenance and repair knowledge and capabilities.
The NAVAIR FDCR team provides the fleet with teams of Naval Reservists and skilled depot-level artisans, engineers, and planners and estimators who deploy worldwide—afloat or ashore—to repair and return battle-damaged aircraft to the fight rapidly.
While they may be performed by squadron personnel, aircraft battle damage repairs often require specialized repair and damage analysis, skills and tools from depot-level maintainers, like that of FRCE artisans. This exercise was a great opportunity for the depot’s artisans, engineers and the Reservists to learn from each other, according to the depot’s FDCR engineering lead, Ramsey Davis.
“The FCDR Team may not know what they are fixing until they get there—that’s why this training is so beneficial,” Davis said. “They’ll get there and must complete the necessary repairs in a foreign environment with limited resources and tools.”
During deployment, the Reservists act as a liaison between the active-duty service members who need aircraft battle damage support and the depot-level engineers and artisans who deploy to complete the repairs. Lt. Matthew Hill, a Reservist on NAVAIR’s FDCR team, said the exercise gave the Reservists practice overcoming potential obstacles that may arise while deployed.
“The Reserve FDCR instructor developed the scenario, adding in last-minute things that could go wrong while deployed,” Hill said. “The sailors had to figure out how to adapt to them and guide the artisans in what they should be doing. This scenario also gave the sailors experience working with the civilians, which is something they don’t normally do. It’s helpful because these artisans are the ones coming with them if they’re deployed, so developing that relationship is important to mission success.”
Cmdr. Joseph Stewart, a Reservist on the NAVAIR FDCR team, served as the training lead in the scenario and said exercises like this one are essential to maintaining fleet readiness.
“If there’s a conflict and they need more depot-level support in that theater, we all go,” Stewart said. “The officers and senior enlisted are training their people to get out there, remove any barriers, so FRC artisans can do depot-level work outside of their regular depot spaces.
“This fleet training exercise was the best forward-deployed combat repair training to date,” Stewart said. “We created an excellent, repeatable training scenario that allowed the team to effectively develop and install 10 safe structural repairs on two aircraft within a three-day timeframe. It was a huge success, and FRC East was instrumental in the success of this specialized training.”
