personnel, destroy essential supplies, and damage
valuable equipment and property. These accidents don’t
just happen. They are caused by carelessness or
unfamiliarity with the use and limitations of handling
equipment, as well as relaxation or failure to observe
safety precautions, orders, and regulations pertaining to
the handling and stowage of ammunition and
explosives. You can prevent accidents caused by misuse
of handling equipment if you take the time to understand
the use and limitations of the handling equipment.
Many technical manuals and instructions contain
information about safety, inspection, and tests for
ordnance handling equipment. For general information,
refer to the following publications:
Approved Handling Equipment for Weapons and
Explosives, NAVSEA OP 2173, Volume 1 (NAVAIR
19-100-1.1) and Volume 2 (NAVAIR 19-100-1.2)
Ammunition Afloat, NAVSEA Op 4
Ammunition and Explosives Ashore, Safety
Regulations for Handling, Storing, Production,
Renovation, and Shipping, NAVSEA OP 5, Volume 1
Use approved handling equipment to handle
explosive ordnance. Approved handling equipment is
described in NAVSEA OP 2173 and NAVSEA OP 4098.
Before you can be assigned to operate any explosive
ordnance handling equipment, you must receive a
thorough indoctrination in general safety precautions
applicable to explosive ordnance. You must also be
indoctrinated in the specific precautions applicable to
the equipment you will be operating. Additionally, you
must be qualified and certified under OPNAVINST
8023.2 (series) and other appropriate command
directives.
To assure reliability, explosive handling equipment
must be inspected and periodically tested. Equipment,
such as slings, bands, beams, strongbacks, and spreader
bars, is static tested at 200 percent to 215 percent of
SWL. If the date and the results of the latest static test
are not marked on the equipment or the test is out of
date, don’t use the equipment.
You must possess a valid explosives drivers license
before operating industrial material handling
equipment, such as forklift trucks, pickup trucks,
platform trucks, crane trucks, and tractors and trailers.
You must never exceed the SWL of the equipment
being used. If adapters are being used, you cannot
exceed the lowest SWL of the equipment-adapter
configuration. For example, if an Aero 12C bomb skid
(SWL of 1,250 pounds) is used with an Aero 9C bomb
skid adapter (SWL of 1,000 pounds), the maximum
capacity of the skid-adapter configuration is limited to
1,000 pounds.
Q1.
Q2.
Q3.
Q4.
REVIEW NUMBER 10
What is the primary cause of accidents involving
handling equipment?
To operate handling equipment that carries
explosives, you must be qualified and certified
according to what instruction?
Equipment, such as slings, bands, beams, and
strongbacks, is weight tested at what percentage
of its SWL?
If the date and results of the latest static test are
not current or not marked on the equipment,
what should you do?
REVIEW NUMBER 9 ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS Q1. THROUGH Q3.
A1. The A/S 32K-1A/1B/1C SATS weapon loader is used to load externally carried
munitions, weapons, and stores onto aircraft.
A2. The two main functional components of the Aero 47A, Aero 47A-1, and MJ-7
weapon loaders are the lifting mechanism and the drive mechanism.
A3. The SWL of the Aero 47A, Aero 47A-1, and MJ-7 weapon loaders is 4,500 pounds.
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