DECEMBER 6, 2024 — A new Type III Hydrant Fuel System became operational Oct. 11 at Robert Gray Army Airfield at West Fort Cavazos.
The facility is government owned/contract operated by Maytag Aircraft LLC.
“Under this contract, the fuel terminal manager, Bradley McCombs, and contract employees provide exceptional fuel services in support of the Warfighter and the entire Fort Cavazos installation around the clock,” said Jose Nieves, supervisory logistics management specialist with the Army Field Support Battalion-Cavazos.
Construction on the new fuel system began in early 2021 where the in-ground hydrant system was demolished in place, while the fuel tanks remained in operation.
“Modification of the Maytag fuel contract occurred, to maintain the refueling mission at Robert Gray Army Airfield by utilizing 8,000-gallon fuel tankers with their existing hydrant trucks to refuel aircraft,” Nieves said. “This modified refuel operation resulted in longer refueling times and delays that impacted missions, as refueling an aircraft could take anywhere from three to eight hours depending on the type and size.
“With the new Type III Hydrant Fuel System, a large aircraft such as a C5-Galaxy (51.1K gallon fuel tank capacity) or Boeing C17 Globemaster III (28K gallon fuel tank capacity) takes approximately 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for refuel depending on the quantity of fuel required,” he continued. “Smaller aircraft can now refuel in 15-30 minutes. This timeframe is a two- to five-hour reduction in the refueling time, in comparison to the previous refuel operations under the old hydrant system.”
The system also has upgrades in technology, safety for employees and the environment.
“It is automated and provides fuel on demand to the six hydrant pits with pumping rates up to 1,800 gallons per minute for the system,” Nieves said. “In comparison to the old system, the new system operates with reduced mechanical controls and upgraded monitoring and control systems. It effectively reduces the quantity of product required to maintain the hydrant loop by 10,000 gallons, with simplified and efficient systems for pipeline maintenance.
“Other improvements that enable future cost savings include the operational pig station and leak detection system installed on the system,” he added. “The construction of the system is fully compliant with the most recent Unified Facilities Code for refueling systems and supports all necessary maintenance requirements with minimum risk to the environment and ease for the technicians.”
On Nov. 18 the AFSBn-Cavazos command team was given a tour of the new fuel system by McCombs at West Fort Cavazos, where they were shown the technical side of the system, the ins-and-outs of the machinery and were able to observe a plane being topped off on fuel.
“The new fuel point at Robert Gray Army Airfield brings a tremendous improvement to our airfield operations and power projection capabilities,” said Lt. Col. Richard Martinez, AFSBn-Cavazos commander. “This alleviates a huge operational shortfall for the airfield and provides a tremendous new capability from the old refuel system, which decreases large body fueling times by 50-70%. We fully expect this system to support the Robert Gray Army Airfield for the next 50 years.”
By Blair Dupre
Fort Cavazos Public Affairs