KADENA AIR BASE, Japan -- The Civil Engineer Squadrons from
Kadena, Yokota and Misawa Air Bases teamed up here with the Air Force Civil
Engineer Center to conduct training for the new rapid airfield damage repair
(RADR) technique Sept. 12-15.
Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and
other locations have highlighted a need for better methods to quickly and
effectively establish or improve airfields. Craters, spalls, and other
conditions that limit airfield use can create costly delays not adequately
resolved by old techniques.
The Air Force Civil Engineer Center at
Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., selected Kadena as a test base for the RADR program
because of its key location in the Pacific.
"This is a significant step forward that provides new capabilities in
addition to traditional rapid runway repair," said Master Sgt. Matthew
Novack, 18th Civil Engineer Squadron section chief of requirements and
optimization. "This is the first time we have been able to conduct
operations like this on an active runway in more than a decade."
During the RADR training, Airmen clear the debris from the surface of the
flightline using heavy equipment. Next, they cut a square around the damaged
areas or craters with specialized saws, then the remaining concrete is removed.
After the concrete is removed they fill the hole in with a low-strength
concrete and finally cap it with a rapid-set hard concrete.
This process can be done quickly in combat situations so airfield operations
can resume. It’s estimated that 3,000 aircraft of any size or weight can pass
over the restored area without causing degradation to the runway. This means
Airmen won’t have to return later to conduct maintenance on the same areas.
The previous method for repairing the flightline, known as rapid runway repair,
was introduced in the late 1950s and became more refined in the 1960s. This
operation allowed engineers to repair three large craters formed from 750-pound
bombs within four hours after damage was made.
"(Rapid runway repair) was a way that was in-grained in the Air Force for
around 50 years," Capt. Benjamin Carlson, Air Force Civil Engineer Center
ADR officer in charge said in a previous article. "This is a new way of
doing things that is more beneficial and cuts down on repair times."
The new process allows for six times the
repairs with less than double the output.
Colonel Anthony Davit, AFCEC director of
readiness, explained RADR allows teams to repair around 18 craters in roughly
six and a half hours. We look forward to having these units take it back to
their home stations, increasing the readiness of the Indo-Asia Pacific region.