Description of Services/Introduction: The Contractor is required to provide requested lift
services of picking up a load with weights between 1000 pounds and 65 tons to a height
between 1 to 12 feet. There are four basic missions requiring crane-assisted lifting of military
vehicles, equipment, or rigged-for-airdrop loads. The Contractor will position the load for
rigging, deposit the load on transportation, hold the load suspended for a Simulated Airdrop
Impact Test (SAIT), or lift the load for recovery of loads or equipment from a Drop Zone.
Question and Answer:
1. We would like to know if this is a brand-new contract OR if there is (was) an incumbent performing these services. If not brand new, could you please provide the current / previous contract number?
Previous Contract: W91247-20-A-0010
2. Could you please confirm the required distance from the crane to the lift points for these pieces?
Assuming SAIT, we can position the load as close as the crane operator feels is necessary/safe. The crane is not expected to “reach” over to the load for the static test (SAIT). Once in position with outriggers deployed, we can drive the load in close to the crane for optimal lift distance as directed by the operator. It is our experience that the usual min distance from the crane or other structure/obstacles is 5’ in all directions.
3. It is a major concern that “Quick Release” drops at these magnitudes cannot be safely performed with a crane due to the risk of “shock loading,” which could potentially cause the crane to overturn or fail or break. It is my understanding that a fixed system would be required to safely accomplish this. Could you confirm if my understanding is correct, and let me know if there’s anything I may be missing, misunderstanding, or misinterpreting?
You are correct. When the loads get heavy, only the largest mobile cranes (120T or 240T +) have been used. We rarely do loads exceeding 40,000 lbs (20T), most loads are lower, but we do expect the future we’ll see at least one test pushing to 42,000-44,000 loads. USAF limitation today is 42,000 lbs.
When we did the last heavy test, the rigged weight was around 38,800 lbs. it took the vendor (Superior) four trucks with ballast/counterweights to set up the monster 240T crane for the test SAIT. It went off without any problems.
