Marine Aircraft Group 16 applies war’s lessons to helicopter fleet

By Gidget Fuentes
Marine Corps Times staff writer

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. — They’ve been on active duty longer than most Marines, but they worked around the clock in Iraq and proved they can still pull their weight.
Now, as the Corps’ transport helicopters undergo postwar repairs, aviation officials are considering what they can learn from the combat experiences of these workhorses.

The return of CH-46E Sea Knights and CH-53E Super Stallions has restored life to the flight line here, where leathernecks of Marine Aircraft Group 16 are cleaning aircraft, fixing engines, replacing worn-out parts — and trying to take some time off themselves. The same is happening at air stations throughout the Corps.

Meanwhile, Col. Stuart Knoll, MAG-16 commander, is preparing to meet other transport helicopter leaders for an Operational Planning Group meeting at Fort Worth, Texas, in December.

“We’re going to bring in a lot of the lessons learned while we’re there,” said Knoll, a veteran helicopter pilot who returned from Iraq on July 25.

Knoll deployed from San Diego on Jan. 17 with Regimental Combat Team 1 aboard the ships of Amphibious Task Force West.

The aircraft group operating from Kuwait and Jalibah, Iraq, carried 4,400 passengers and 3.1 million pounds of cargo during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Missions included moving troops and gear into the fight and evacuating the wounded.

And although MAG-16 is home, there’s no time to rest. Several squadrons already are scheduled to rotate to Japan or are taking part in Combined Arms Exercises at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., or the Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz.

“We had to get back so we can be ready to deploy again,” Knoll said. “There’s not much slack.”

Holding their own

The war showed the Sea Knights still have some fight left in them, but then again, “we’ve had 40 years to work the bugs out,” Knoll said.

The medium-lift helicopters handled the rugged, dusty conditions well, with just a few engine replacements needed during the conflict, he said.

But the CH-46E still is limited to carrying eight to 12 combat-loaded Marines, nearly half the number it carried 25 years ago. Upgrades and safety items added over the years have reduced its cargo capacity.

“We’re looking at a lot of ways to reduce the weight of the airplane,” Knoll said. One possible fix: replacing the 400 pounds of titanium armor with lighter plates.

Knoll also would like to see engine upgrades to restore some of the horsepower that has been lost during the life of the helos.

New rotor blades also could boost the payload limits, he said. But with so much attention focused on the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, getting new blades for the old Sea Knights is a hard sell.

“As the group commander, I’ve got to ask for all the things I can to try to further enhance the capabilities,” Knoll said.

The heavy haulers

While the Sea Knights generally held up well, the big Super Stallions had problems.

“It’s a little more complicated machine,” Knoll said. “But the biggest problem with the CH-53 is the dust that gets in the engine. We’ve identified this. It really is nothing new.”

Earlier operations in the Afghan theater had taught some lessons about the Super Stallion’s vulnerability to fine sand and dirt, and similar problems occurred in Iraq. The helicopter’s seven rotor blades can whip up huge clouds of sand and grit, which gets sucked into the engines.

“We changed about an engine a day out there,” Knoll said, and his biggest worry was “running out of ’53 engines.”

Engine seals designed to keep out the dust “just need improvement, pure and simple,” he said.

Bad engines were removed and sent to Signonella, Italy, for repairs, Knoll said.

“We never expected to go through engines as fast as we did,” he said. “We’re still feeling the effects right now.”

Armed escorts

At the planning group meeting, commanders also may discuss whether changes are needed in how AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters are used to protect the transport helos.

One major exception was during the March rescue of captured Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from a Nasiriyah hospital. Knoll led the air package that included six CH-46Es and three CH-53Es from his group, carrying Army Rangers. Several AH-1W Super Cobras, sent in as a distraction element, “went around the city to make noise basically,” he said. “They were louder than the H-6s who were coming in and shooting.”

But most of the time, the helicopter gunships weren’t available for transport operations, he said.

“I usually have Cobras around me to protect me while flying,” Knoll said. “Well, I didn’t have them out there” in Iraq.

That’s because, during the main combat operations, threats against the transport helicopters dissipated, which made the gunships’ support less critical, Knoll said.

While transport and attack aircraft crews likely will continue to train as they always have, some adaptations may be possible, he said.

Gidget Fuentes is the San Diego bureau chief for Marine Corps Times. E-mail her at gfuentes@marinecorpstimes.com.