SECTION 5 CHAPTER 5

AERIAL DELIVERY OF MATERIEL

INTRODUCTION

5.1    Aerial delivery of materiel is the transport of cargo on ADF aircraft via three possible modes: internal air transport (Air Land (AL)) in fixed and rotary wing aircraft, Air Drop (AD) from fixed wing aircraft, and helicopter underslung load carriage (External Lift (EL)). Air Mobility Training and Development Unit (AMTDU) are responsible for the certification of cargo load items for transport via these three aerial delivery modes. Cargo load items interface with and have an appreciable effect on the safe operation of the carrying aircraft. Certification of cargo load items for aerial delivery (a load clearance) must adhere to the standards prescribed by this chapter to ensure the output of safe aerial delivery products.

5.2    When acquiring equipment with a requirement for aerial delivery, the Project Office or Defence organisation conducting the acquisition shall demonstrate compliance with all requirements relevant to the desired transport mode as listed under this Chapter to facilitate a successful aerial delivery clearance.  

Scope

5.3    The design requirements prescribed in this Chapter are applicable to ‘Australian Unique Loads’. This includes equipment (load items) acquired specifically for transport via ADF aircraft.

5.4    Load items with a current cargo load clearance from the US internal air transport load certification agency Air Transportability Test Loading Activity (ATTLA) or UK aerial delivery load certification agency Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU) may be exempt from this standard. Contact AMTDU for further information.

AERIAL DELIVERY STANDARD

5.5    This chapter adopts the following US suite of standards and international standards for Aerial Delivery as the Authority prescribed criteria for the Aerial Delivery of Australian Unique Loads:

Air Land Standards

MIL-STD-1791D Change 1 – Designing for Internal Aerial Delivery in Fixed Wing Aircraft

MIL-DTL-27443F – Pallets, Cargo, Aircraft, Type HCU-6/E, HCU-12/E

IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations (58th Edition)

ISO Standards for Freight Containers (ISO668, ISO1161, ISO1496 Series, ISO3874)

Air Drop Standards

MIL-STD-814D – Tiedown, Suspension & Extraction Provisions

MIL-HDBK-669 – Loading Environment and Related Requirements for Platform Rigged Airdrop Material (3 Feb 1997, Revalidated 11 Jun 2002) 

MIL-STD-1791-1  Criteria for Non-Standard Airdrop Equipment and Payloads (16 May 2016)

US Manual FM 4-20.103/MCRP 4-11.3C/TO 13C7-1-11 – Airdrop of Supplies and Equipment: Rigging Containers (02 Sep 2005)

AFIC AIR STD AM 4099 Criteria for the Design of Equipment Required to be Air Transported or Airdropped from Fixed Wing and Rotary Wing Transport Aircraft

External Lift Standards

MIL-STD-913A – Requirements for the Certification of Sling Loaded Military Equipment for External Transportation

USA ARMDL Technical Report 72-36 Design Guide for Load Suspension Points, Slings and Aircraft Hard Points (July 1972)

AFIC AIR STD AM 4076 Technical Criteria for the Transport of Cargo by Helicopter

Standard Applicable to All Modes

MIL-STD-209K – Interface Standard for Lifting and Tiedown Provisions.

5.6    Where the above adopted standards are unclear, unspecified or deficient, the following supplements are prescribed and are essential for Australian Unique Loads. Collectively, the standards prescribed at Paragraph 5.5 and the Australian supplements listed below form the Aerial Delivery Standard for Australian Unique Loads:

Air Land Supplements (Detailed in Annex A, Table 1)

Restraint of secondary cargo (Item 1.4.2)

Restraint analysis for load items restrained with lashings (Item 1.4.3)

Air Drop Supplements (Detailed in Annex A, Table 2)

Impact survivability (Items 2.1.3 and 2.2.7)

Energy dissipation system (Items 2.1.4 and 2.2.8)

Restraint of secondary cargo (Item 2.2.10 – subordinate to Item 1.4.2 )

Restraint analysis for Air Drop load items restrained with lashings (Item 2.2.11 – subordinate to Item 1.4.3)

Extraction provisions – Item extracted loads (Item 2.2.12)

Suspension provisions – Item suspended loads (Item 2.2.13)

External Lift Supplements (Detailed in Annex A, Table 3)

Load item lifting provisions – Strength (Item 3.1.3)

Frame members (Item 3.1.5 – linked to Item 3.1.3)

Spreader bars (Item 3.1.6 – linked to Item 3.1.3)

Restraint of secondary cargo (Item 3.4.1 – linked to Item 1.4.3)

Applicability of general requirements (Item 3.1.7 – linked to Item 4.1.2)

Supplements Applicable to All Modes (Detailed in Annex A, Table 4)

Shackles – Strength (Item 4.1.2)

Secondary cargo tie down provisions – Strength (Item 4.2.3 – AD component only)

Supplements Applicable to Air Land and Air Drop (Detailed in Annex A, Table 5)

Attachment point number (Item 5.1.2)

Attachment point strength rating (Item 5.1.3).
Instruction and Guidance for Application of the Authority Prescribed Standard

5.7    All elements of the Aerial Delivery Standard that are applicable to a cargo load item and its desired mode(s) of transport are classified as ‘essential’ in accordance with the definitions contained in Section 1, Chapter 1.

5.8    Standards listed at Paragraph 5.5 may not be applicable in whole to a cargo load item for the selected aerial delivery mode(s). Annex A provides specific instruction and guidance on application of the Aerial Delivery Standard prescribed by the Authority at Paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6. Where the cited document is not publicly available, Annex A republishes the information for use in the Australian context.

5.9    The design data applicable to Australian aircraft is contained in the following documents and must be used in conjunction with the Aerial Delivery Standard prescribed at Paragraphs 5.5 and 5.6:

TO 1C-17A-9 Loading Instructions C-17A Aircraft (or aircraft data from Appendix B.4 of MIL-STD-1791B)

AAP7211.031-9 Loading Instructions Hercules C-130J-30 

AAP7211.045-9 C-27J Spartan Aircraft Cargo Loading and Offloading Manual

AAP7210.026-1 Flight Manual Chinook CH-47F 

AAP7210.015-1 Flight Manual Black Hawk (S-70A-9)

AAP7210.023-1 Flight Manual MRH90 Taipan

Air Force Air Movements Manual

AAP7279.001-1-1 Air Drop of Materiel General – Container Rigging and Associated Equipment

AAP7279.001-1-2 Air Drop of Materiel General – Platform Rigging and Associated Equipment

AAP7210.021-9-4 Helicopter External Load Rigging Procedures.

TAILORING OF AERIAL DELIVERY DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

5.10    Prescribing, revising and interpreting Aerial Delivery design requirements is the responsibility of the Defence Aviation Safety Authority, or if delegated, the Delegate of the Safety Authority (DoSA). Any proposed tailoring of the design requirements prescribed in this Chapter (including requests for deviations, modifications or special consideration) must be submitted to DASA/AMTDU for a determination on the acceptability of the tailoring. 

REVISION NOTE

5.11    The content of this Chapter replaces DEF(AUST) 9009A Designing for Aerial Delivery of Equipment by Fixed and Rotary Wing Aircraft, dated 08 Jul 2009. The linkage between this Chapter and previous iterations of approved aerial delivery design standards is described in the below historical record of this standard.

Annexes:

A.    Instruction and Guidance for Application of the Aerial Delivery Standard

B.    Aerial Delivery Verification Methods

C.    Glossary