MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, Calif. -- Flying through the extreme darkness of a damp cave, the predator hunts for its prey. He cannot see the poor defenseless morsel, but he knows the insect is there for him to eat. Then, in a flap of a wing, the meal transforms from living life, to being digested. It is the Big Brown Bat’s built in radar system that located his dinner, and it is that same radar that gave the bat the ability to successfully catch and devour his prey.
Fortunately, the Marine Corps has this same radar capability, the members of Maintenance Center Barstow’s Cost Work Center 733 will tell you. CWC 733 works on Integrated Radar Systems for the military, and has been successfully repairing the AN/TPS 59 radar systems in eight months average turnaround time.
However, the early days of planning protocol estimated it would take a total of 18 months to complete the repairs, said George Austin, the supervisor of CWC 733.
The AN/TPS 59 is able to detect Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, and is used by air traffic controllers in combat and garrison environments, said Austin. The radars have a maximum range of 400 miles, and are made up of 54 transmitters, antenna rows and receivers.
The demand for depot rebuilt systems to replace the degraded systems that the Marine Air Control Squadrons possessed and the recent air defense threats caused the need for a short completion time, Austin said.
When rebuilding the radars, CWC 733 must first disassemble every component to the bare minimum, Austin said. The workers evaluate every component to see if it is serviceable or not by utilizing manufacturer and USMC specifications. After every part is in working order, the radars must be completely reassembled from the ground up, said Austin. During this reassembly period, everything must be tested, with the fully assembled radar going through a two-month long evaluation and burn-in.
CWC 733 is also required to rebuild an associated decoy radar system to be included with the whole radar system package, Austin said. The decoy does not look the same as the radar, but works by sending off the same signal as the real thing.
CWC 733 rebuilt its first AN/TPS 59 in 12 months despite the production hurdles that had to be overcome, Austin said.
The managers, supervisor, and product team set a goal to complete three radars in two years, which equates to eight months per radar.
However, CWC 733 finished their last three radar systems in less than eight months despite some the production woes they had to face like losing their primary test-bed electronics shelter, the requirement to perform near-field testing, and adding the decoy radar as part of the rebuild package.
The mission could not be accomplished without the combined efforts of a highly knowledgeable staff, to include support shops, planners, expediters, production management teams, and quality inspectors.
“We have the hang of it, (repairing radar systems) and I have a pretty good staff,” said Austin.
The short completion time of the radars is more cost effective, and demonstrates CWC 733’s Lean Thinking ability, Austin said.
An asset, which helps CWC 733 finish testing faster, is a fiberglass-composite dome that is located right next to their shop, said Austin. This dome protects the radars from the wind, rain and sand that could damage a fledging radar system, and it allows the workers to test the radar whenever needed. The dome also is big enough to allow the radar to be completely opened up, he said.
Another facility, which shortens the time it takes to test the components of the radar, is known as an Anechoic Chamber, Austin said. The chamber was designed by Austin himself, and is used to test auxiliary antennas for the radar system. The chamber can absorb radar signals, both incidental and alien, which gives an antenna the best venue for the most accurate testing.
Austin said CWC 733 finishes their radars on or before the scheduled completion date, and do not intend to slow down. Everyday Austin searches for new ideas, which he hopes will help improve his production, he said.
Speedy repairs of radars saves money, and when it comes to saving money, the Marine Corps is all for it, and so is CWC 733.