It's better it saves manpower, reduces the amount of time we are outside and time we use storing and taking back up to the aircraft maintenance unit. 'With this system, we only need two people - one person pushes the dolly, and one operates the machine from the control panel. 'There would be two people at the head of the tank, and two people at the back of the tank,' said Senior Airman Virgil Campbell, aircraft fuels systems journeyman with the 366th CMS. The VTSS replaces a loading method which required four Airmen to work outside using a technique called 'buddy bars,' where they would manually load and unload a tank and transport it using a spider dolly. Chad Nute, 366th Component Maintenance Squadron aircraft fuels systems repair assistant section chief.

'To load and unload a dolly outside in the snow and the rain, it's miserable,' said Tech. In addition, the climate made for uncomfortable working conditions for some maintainers. The tanks were previously stored on a cement pad outside where Idaho's brutal winds would remove the caps and plugs off the tanks, causing foreign object debris to appear on the flightline. 1 kit completes 1 aircraft.MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho - More than 240 F-15E Strike Eagle external fuels tanks have found a new home in a $2.5 million Vertical Tank Storage System at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. Not compatible with artificial horizon standby battery installation. Compatible with Integrated Flight Systems p/n 130-00-031 and DART (Apical) floats. Requires DSI 9562-011 for compatibility with DART Spacepod™. Requires DSI 9599-011 to be compatible with Airbus Squirrel Cheeks (contact Sales for additional information).

DART now also offers compatibility kits to make the Auxiliary Fuel Tank compatible with Airbus Squirrel Cheeks (p/n DSI 9599-011 - contact Sales for additional information) or with DART Spacepods™ (p/n DSI 9562-011). Additional provisions kits may be installed in other aircraft to allow the tank to be quickly transferred. After initial installation, the tank is easily removed and re-installed for maximum operational flexibility. The Auxiliary Fuel Tank provides additional fuel capacity that can be transferred to the main fuel tank as desired in order to extend the aircraft's operational range.

US Air Force M116 auxillary fuel tanks