CHAPTER 9 AMMUNITION HANDLING EQUIPMENT How you handle aviation ammunition depends on the time, place, and situation. The ammunition and explosives handling task is hazardous. Equipment is designed so you can safely handle ammunition in any given situation. This includes railroad, industrial, and automotive equipment used for transporting ammunition. It also includes equipment used to manually handle ammunition, such as skids, pallets, carriers, and aircraft loading equipment. Often, the equipment you use to handle ammunition afloat and ashore are the same. However, differences in stowage accommodations, fixed installations,   working   areas,   and   space   limitations require the use of equipment and techniques especially designed for the job. Regardless of the situation, only use the equipment designed for a particular task and approved by NAVSEASYSCOM or NAVAIRSYSCOM. You can identify the command that has control over a particular item of ammunition handling equipment by the   item   designation.   If   Mark   and   Mod   number designations   identify   the   item,   NAVSEASYSCOM controls  it.  If  the  item  is  identified  by  designations, such as Aero, ADU, ADK, and HLK, NAV- AIRSYSCOM controls it. The number and availability of different ammunition   handling   equipment   configurations   are extremely  large.  The  equipment  that  is  routinely  used by  most  of  the  operating  units  (ashore  and  afloat)  is discussed in the following paragraphs. You can find a complete listing and description of approved handling equipment    in    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). ARMAMENT WEAPONS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the categories and subcategories of armament weapons support equipment. Armament weapons support equipment (AWSE) is support equipment required on the ground. The AWSE is classified as either common or peculiar and may be avionics or nonavionics. There are three subcategories (fig. 9-1), armament support equipment (ASE), 9-1 ARMAMENT WEAPONS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT LOGISTICS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT (LSE) ARMAMENT SUPPORT EQUIPMENT (ASE) ARMAMENT HANDLING EQUIPMENT (AHE) ARMAMENT SYSTEMS TEST EQUIPMENT (ASTE) WEAPONS HANDLING EQUIPMENT (WHE) WEAPONS TEST EQUIPMENT (WTE) WEAPONS SUPPORT EQUIPMENT (WSE) INSTALLED SHIPBOARD/ SHORE BASED EQUIPMENT (ISE) INDUSTRIAL MATERIAL HANDLING EQUIPMENT (MHE) SHIP LOADING/ UNDERWAY REPLENISHMENT EQUIPMENT (URE) ORDNANCE HANDLING VEHICLES (OHV) WEAPONS PACKAGING EQUIPMENT (WPE) AOf0901 Figure 9-1.—Armament weapons support equipment breakdown.