An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Media : News : News Article View
NEWS | Nov. 15, 2019

354th Fighter Wing Airmen Develop, Test New F-35A Arctic Survival Kit

By Senior Airman Beaux Hebert 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska -- U.S. Airmen assigned to the 354th Fighter Wing tested a new arctic survival kit for the F-35A Lightning II in downtown Fairbanks, Alaska, Nov. 5.

A team of Airmen from the 356th Fighter Squadron, F-35 Program Integration Office, 354th Operation Support Squadron Aircrew Flight Equipment and 66th Training Squadron, Detachment 1, used a subzero chamber to replicate the extreme temperatures of interior Alaska.

The test was performed because the current arctic survival kit won’t fit in the allotted space under the seat of an F-35A. The 354th FW is expecting to receive its first F-35A in April of 2019.

“We are testing the kit that Tech. Sgt. John Williams, Tech. Sgt. Benjamin Ferguson and myself have developed over the last year in preparation for the integration of the F-35,” said Tech. Sgt. Garret Wright, 66th TS, Det. 1 Arctic Survival School noncommissioned officer in charge of operations.

Four members of the team, to include Lt. Col. James Christensen, commander of the reactivated 356th Fighter Squadron, stepped into two separate chambers, one at minus 20 and the other at minus 40, wearing standard cold-weather gear issued to pilots. Once inside the chambers, the test observers timed how long it took them to don the specialized winter gear from their survival kit.

After the gear was on, the Icemen lived up to their name and stayed in the chamber for six hours. Wright recorded their condition every 30 minutes to ensure the safety and accuracy of the test.

Approximately five hours into the test, Wright noticed the temperature on the digital thermometer didn’t seem accurate in one of the chambers. He found a mercury-based thermometer and discovered the temperature one of the chambers was at minus 65 and the other was minus 51.

“After realizing that the ambient room temperature was at minus 65 at the five-hour mark, I knew that we had accomplished far more than we originally set out to,” Wright said. “Wing leaders wanted a product that would keep pilots alive at minus 40 and although unplanned, the findings were clear that the sleep system could far surpass this goal."

After six cold hours, the Icemen stepped out of the subzero chamber and spoke with the survival, evasion, reconnaissance, and escape specialists and the AFE team to address discrepancies and better ways to utilize the equipment.

“The gear was great. There were a couple of minor tweaks that I think we could make to it to improve it but overall it was solid,” said Staff Sgt. Zachary Rumke, 66th TS, Det. 1, Artic Survival School instructor.

After the debrief, the four Icemen agreed the equipment is more than capable of withstanding the harsh temperatures of the Alaskan landscape and said they would feel safe knowing they had this gear to help them survive in one of the world’s most extreme environments.

CONNECT WITH USINDOPACOM
Facebook

Like Us
X
363,231
Follow Us

ENGAGE & CONNECT MORE WITH PACOM

                                                 

IN THE USINDOPACOM NEWS
Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Minister of National Defence Judith Collins of New Zealand
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 25, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Ryder provided the following readout...

First of its kind deployment of Marine cyber forces to the INDO-PACOM Theater
Marines with Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command pose for photos in the cyber operations center at Lasswell Hall aboard Fort Meade, Maryland, Feb. 5, 2020. MARFORCYBER Marines conduct offensive and defensive cyber operations in support of United States Cyber Command and operate, secure and defend the Marine Corps Enterprise Network. This image is a photo illustration.
March 25, 2024 - Marines assigned to U.S. Marine Corps Forces Cyber Command deployed to Okinawa, Japan as part of the inaugural iteration of a new cyber rotational force concept...

15th MEU, USS Somerset Arrive for Third Iteration of Tiger TRIUMPH
U.S. Marines assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Sailors assigned to the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) march during the opening ceremony of Exercise Tiger TRIUMPH in Visakhapatnam, India, March 19, 2024. Tiger TRIUMPH is a U.S.-India tri-service amphibious exercise focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief readiness and interoperability. Tiger TRIUMPH enables U.S. and Indian Armed Forces to improve interoperability and bilateral, joint, and service readiness in the Indian Ocean region and beyond to better achieve mutual regional security objectives. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Aidan Hekker)
March 25, 2024 - U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to elements of the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, embarked upon the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD 25), arrived in Visakhapatnam, India to participate in the third iteration of...

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With President Wesley Simina of the Federated States of Micronesia
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder provided the following readout...

AUKUS Trilateral Statement
Graphic intended for use as a placeholder for Statements and Press Releases without accompanying imagery.
March 22, 2024 - The Honourable Richard Marles MP, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Australia; the Right Honourable Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Defence, United Kingdom; and Lloyd J. Austin III, Secretary of Defense,...