Weather Constrained Throughput: Substituting Spangdahlem and Ramstein for Rhein Main

Abstract

As the United States Air Force enters the 2lst Century, it is transitioning from a strategy of forward presence to a force projection capability. This strategy has been adopted by the U.S. military as a whole and therefore, places a heavy reliance on the airlift capability of the United States Air Force. As the operations out of Rhein Main AB are absorbed by Ramstein AB and Spangdahlem AB, Air Force leadership needs to be aware of the impact the weather differences have on operations. This paper looks at the operational differences between these bases from a standpoint of weather constrained throughput. To get to the final weather constraining factors, a ten-year history of weather conditions at the bases in question were analyzed. The analysis was based off of the percent of each month that operations were limited due to ceiling, visibility, and crosswind limitations. The final result is a group of tables containing correction factors that can be applied to each base on a monthly basis. The throughput can thus be corrected and more accurate planning can be accomplished in line with the Air Force concept of force projection and Mobility operations in support of humanitarian and disaster relief.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA372325

Entities

People

  • Richard P. Mackeeb

Organizations

  • Air University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Climate Change
  • Crosswinds
  • Department Of Defense
  • Governments
  • Instructors
  • Measurement
  • Students
  • Tanker Aircraft
  • Throughput
  • United States
  • Visibility
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare
  • Wind

Readers

  • Climatology
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Strategic Security Studies