PMA-260 manages the procurement, improvement and fielding of frequent floor assist tools and computerized take a look at tools for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and consists of 20 totally different groups overlaying areas like acquisition administration, take a look at and analysis, and sustainment of kit that enables the Navy and Martine Corps staff to function, restore and repair plane. FRCSE’s AMAS staff is a kind of 20 groups.
The AMAS staff, positioned at Cecil Commerce Middle, earned the award for imaging, repairing and logistics related to Moveable Digital Upkeep Aids (PEMAs).
PEMAs are laptops which are configured in accordance with the kind, mannequin, collection plane being serviced, and works like an interactive technical guide. The AMAS staff’s major duty is making certain that PEMAs are supplied to those that keep plane operated by the Navy and Marine Corps – about 30 differing types.
“Our warehouse is about 1,200 sq. toes,” mentioned John Mason, FRCSE’s AMAS staff lead logistician. “We now have racks across the perimeter of the room that almost attain the ceiling, and again in March 2023, our complete warehouse – together with the ground house – was full of recent PEMAs and others needing restore. The pallets lined each floor within the room, and at any given time, the Assist Gear Managing System, which is the system we use for processing, was monitoring about 16,000 PEMAs requiring assist.”
Yr to yr, the AMAS staff, composed of about 22 personnel – is accountable for shopping for, processing, monitoring, unboxing, imaging, repairing and transport 1000’s of PEMAs.
This yr alone, they accomplished 5,362 refreshes, which occur each 4 years, together with replenishments for the staff’s largest shoppers — F/A-18 Tremendous Hornets and EA-18G Growlers.
A refresh consists of the staff buying new laptop computer computer systems to exchange all the prevailing PEMAs for patrons on the group (O), intermediate (I) or depot (D) restore stage. The staff buys, tracks, photos and sends the ready-for-issue gadgets to the maintainers. Primarily based on timelines and the quantity of PEMAs delivered at a time – normally 1000’s – a refresh must be fastidiously deliberate to make sure well timed supply.
First, the staff determines the variety of PEMAs required, then they order the gadgets from the producer. The objects ship to the AMAS warehouse the place they’re processed, unboxed, organized, despatched to the lab for imaging and eventually shipped out. The staff offers every buyer 30 days with the brand new gadgets earlier than requiring them to return the outdated ones.
The necessities for Tremendous Hornets and Growlers made up 3,501 of the overall PEMAs refreshed, and the work was anticipated to take the AMAS staff nicely into fiscal yr 2024. Nevertheless, they kicked into excessive velocity, knocking out upwards of 250 PEMAs per week.
“I’m extraordinarily pleased with the staff’s contribution to offering the warfighter the fitting {hardware} and software program instruments for performing upkeep and restore on Navy and Marine Corps plane,” mentioned Brad Sherrill, FRCSE’s AMAS FST lead. “These instruments might not be massive weapon techniques or utilized in direct fight, however every is an important tip-of-the-spear useful resource wanted to maintain planes flying.”
Nevertheless, the AMAS staff workload didn’t simply cease at fleet necessities. The AMAS staff additionally processed, outfitted, repaired, loaned, transferred, delivered, demilitarized and disposed of virtually 6,500 different gadgets throughout 2023 — totals far exceeding the expectations for the yr.
“The AMAS Crew offers PEMAs to all O, I, and D stage restore services, however we additionally offers older repaired PEMAs to Navy and Marine Corps colleges that aren’t a part of this system of file and wouldn’t usually have entry to those items of kit,” Mason mentioned. “This helps guarantee college students going by way of coaching have an precise piece of kit to make use of whereas studying.”
Wherever there may be an plane inside the Navy and Marine Corps arsenal, there are PEMAs supporting the upkeep of that plane. Protecting that in thoughts, the FRCSE AMAS staff doesn’t simply come to work day-after-day and do a job nicely; they supply important assist to the fleet, making certain that each maintainer has a top quality system that harnesses the info required for them to execute their piece of the mission.
About Fleet Readiness Middle Southeast
Fleet Readiness Middle Southeast (FRCSE) is Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia’s largest upkeep, restore, overhaul and technical providers supplier, using roughly 5,000 civilian, navy and contract employees. With annual income exceeding $1 billion, the group serves as an integral a part of the higher US Navy, Naval Air Programs Command, and Commander, Fleet Readiness Facilities by sustaining the fight airpower for America’s navy forces.
