Today the U.S. Army possesses no organic, forward deployed aviation maintenance capability above the unit and intermediate level. This paper examines the feasibility of supporting Army Aviation with a forward deployed, limited depot maintenance unit. The Theater Aviation Maintenance Program (TAMP) represents the Army's attempt to deploy a limited depot maintenance capability for helicopters close to the battlefield. After examining historical cases and current models of rapidly deployed sea-based maintenance facilities, this study concludes that the ARAPAHO, a containerized, sea-based, limited depot maintenance facility, can fill the aviation maintenance void created since Vietnam and the Floating Aviation Maintenance Facility, Corpus Christi Bay. This paper proves that ARAPAHO is a more effective and flexible maintenance alternative. The ARAPAHO can be integrated into the current, three level, Army maintenance system, shorten the logistics pipeline and serve the operational commander as a force multiplier in any theater of operations.

AD-B155 374 Distribution authorized to U.S. Gov't. agencies and their contractors; Specific Authority; 11 Jun 91. Other requests shall be referred to Naval War College, Operations Dept., Newport, RI 02841