Need for a New Loader
JBT AeroTech (formerly FMC Airport Systems) first became aware of the U.S. military’s need for a new 25K loader in 1995 when one of the company’s suppliers, Static Engineering of Adelaide, Australia, invited its participation in a program with the U.S. Air Force to build the next generation of small cargo loaders. Static, a relatively small firm, was interested in participating in the program but recognized the need for a larger U.S. partner in order to win the contract. JBT agreed to work with Static to develop a prototype based on Static’s well-known second-generation Truck Aircraft Side Load/Unload Loader (TASLU), used by the Air Forces of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Kuwait. A proposal was submitted and JBT and Static were selected as one of two groups to deliver three prototypes for a 90-day Operational Assessment at Travis Air Force Base in California in September 1999.
The team, composed of JBT and Static professionals, went to work. Their mission was to develop a 25K loader that met the Air Force’s specifications. Among the requirements, the loader must be able to fit into any size military aircraft, must be deployed quickly, must be able to handle all types of cargo, and must weigh no more than 32,000 pounds.
Prototype Built
The prototype was built at Static Engineering’s facilities in Australia and arrived in the U.S. weighing 37,000 pounds—5,000 pounds too heavy. JBT AeroTech's team in Orlando began a weight reduction program, removing every ounce of unnecessary weight, including replacing the steel deck with an aluminum deck. When the deadline came to present the prototype to the Air Force, the loader was still 500 pounds overweight. JBT AeroTech guaranteed that the Halvorsen would lose the extra 500 pounds. Ultimately, the loader’s weight was reduced to 31,550 pounds.
Performance Superior
During testing, the performance of the Halvorsen Loader was far superior to its competitor and a contract was awarded to the company in June 2000. The loader underwent a Qualification Operational Test and Evaluation at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in May 2001. Military operations and maintenance personnel worked closely with JBT AeroTech engineers to improve the loader and make certain that it met military standards. The Halvorsen then underwent reliability and maintainability testing at Dover, the final test to ensure that all contractual agreements were met before production began.
In November 2001, the first Halvorsen 25K loader rolled off the assembly line at JBT AeroTech manufacturing facility in Orlando, and by mid-December, the company had delivered the first 16 loaders to the Air Force. After testing and training, the first two loaders were officially placed in service at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware in June 2001.
Once manufacturing began, Halvorsen Loaders rolled off the production line at the rate of 15 per month, and by September 2002, the team celebrated the delivery of the 100th Halvorsen Loader.
Multiple Uses
The Air Force uses the Halvorsen Loader in two different ways. It can be used in air cargo operations at air bases, or it can be utilized by mobile airlift support units known as Air Mobility Squadrons. They deploy the loaders wherever and whenever they are needed to load or unload any kind of cargo. Today, the Halvorsen Loader has become the backbone of the Global Reach airlift 463L pallet movement system and is deployed in operations worldwide. It has played an integral role in military operations in Afghanistan, Kuwait and Iraq.