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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 0398.PDF
398 ttigtlt, 25 Mntch Flight" photograph Missiles and Spaceflight THOR LOGISTICS ON July 1, 1958, a button was pressed in Norfolk, causinga bell to ring in California. The button was at the firstRAF Thor IRBM site at Feltwell; the bell was in the communications centre of the Headquarters of the San BernardinoAir Materiel Area at Norton Air Force Base; and the signal meant that the first automatic re-supply logistics system for awestern ballistic missile was in business. It is perhaps to be expected that the delivery of the 60th Thorto the RAF, reported last week, was the end-product of a complex yet well-coordinated background system of planning, shopkeepingand supply. What may be less obvious is the tight and immediate link between the bases in England and the SB AM A headquartersat Norton, a link which is more important, not less, now that three of the main bases are operational and the fourth has receivedall its equipment. The work of the Military Air Transport Service of the USAF also continues to be a vital part of the Thor pro-gramme, even if its mighty effort in the initial deployment of the missile is now complete. In November 1956 a plan was approved for the logistic supportsystem of the Thor IRBM (and for the Atlas and Titan ICBMs), a plan which was of necessity radically different from that appliedto any previous weapon system. Unlike the aircraft which had preceded them, the missiles would have no flying-hour programme,no post D-Day suppon. The missile would fly only once—and then in anger—and its support system must guarantee the highestreadiness 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. The system chosen had to be highly responsive and reflexive in reaction, and needthe minimum administration at squadron level. The guiding principles adopted were: — (1) Centralized knowledge of assets, so that the weapon sup-port manager would have at his fingertips the complete world- wide logistic status for his weapon, and so be able to provide ahighly responsive support service. (2) Data processing. Only by using high-speed, electronic data-processing equipment could an up-to-date centralized knowledge of assets and reflex logistics be attained. (3) Automatic re-supply. If the Thors were to be held at constantreadiness they must be stocked with normal operational spares continuously, with a zero out-of-commission objective. The data-processing programmes were designed to relate spares consump- tion to levels and to ship automatically when levels reached re-supply points. (4) Minimum administration at operational level. The businessof the ballistic missile squadron was to maintain a constant state of readiness, and not to be burdened with details of stock recordaccounts, re-ordering, and other details. The electronic data- processing (EDP) equipment would centralize all record-keepingand so relieve the squadron of this work. • (5) Rapid communications, without which anv responsive logis-tic system using EDP equipment would be ineffective. All squad- rons, contractors and storage sites were to be directly connectedwith the EDP centre by transceiver and teletype. (6) Air transportation, to be used extensively to ensure that themovement of replenishment spares was matched to all other phases of the system, (7) Source direct to user, i.e., whether from USAF depot orcontractor's plant, shipment was to be made directly. (8) Maximum maintenance at squadron site, to minimize thecostly and time-consuming movement of major items of equip- ment.(9) Optimum use of contractors. Towards the end of 1956 a small group began the job of definingthe logistics parameters using EDP eouipment. Systems desiens in mid-1957 were concerned with requirements, "due-ins," levels, failures, etc. At the same time another group watched the R andD missile test programme to pick up hardware knowledge, while a third team provided the systems designers with technical logis-tics guidance. While the integrated EDP system was being final- ized, logistics personnel were engaged in initial provisioning,technical data collection, cataloguing and the many other pre- parations for providing initial operational support to Thor andAtlas. Following the launching of Sputnik 1 the Thor programme was rapidly accelerated, which meant that this missile could notbe supported initially by the integrated system planned. Hence Thor has, in fact, been supported by an interim, or "partialadvanced" logistic system, while Atlas has had the benefit since its operational introduction last September of the advancedsystem. The San Bernardino Air Materiel Area, a unit of Air MaterielCommand, is commanded by Maj-Gen Ben I. Funk who, before his appointment to Norton, was commander of the AMC Ballis-tic Missiles Center at the Air Force Ballistic Missile Division at Inglewood, Los Angeles (a visit to which was reported in Flightof April 17, 1959). On January 1 this year "executive manage- ment responsibility" for Thor passed from the Ballistic MissileDivision, a unit of Air Research and Development Command, to SBAMA, leaving BMD free to devote its attention to new pro-jects while SBAMA looks after the Thor in service. Earlier this month I visited SBAMA Headquarters at Nortonand was able to learn at first-hand something of the work of Gen Funk's organization. The EDP centre is equipped with two IBM705 computers and one Burroughs 220 machine, and accounts for some 35,000 parts on the Thor system (plus 56,000 pans on Atlasand 41,000 on Titan). About 225 skilled people are employed there, and computer rental costs, which include maintenance,amount to some $112,000 per month. Main MATS air-freight terminal in the Thor programme is Dover AFB, Delaware, the scene of the heading photograph above showing C-124 Globemasters shortly before Operation Big Slam. Below, at Norton AFB, California, the C-124 which delivered the 60th Thor to England parks next to an experimental YC-97J powered by P & W T34 turboprops "Flight" photoo.oph jjg|L U.S.AIR FORCE
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