PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: PARTS SHORTAGE MAY SOON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 016140

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/27/2015
TAGS: AEMR ASEC EAID MASS MCAP MOPS PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: PAKISTAN EARTHQUAKE: PARTS SHORTAGE MAY SOON
GROUND PAKISTANI MI-17 RELIEF OPERATIONS

REF: A. ISLAMABAD 15861


B. STATE 196411

Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary and introduction: Since October 8,
Pakistan's Army Aviation has kept its fleet of heavy-lift
MI-17 helicopters in the air flying daily sorties
transporting relief supplies to areas devastated the South
Asian earthquake. To accomplish this dramatic shift in its
mission, reourceful Army Aviation maintenance crews have
turned to cannibalizing grounded MI-17s for parts after
having quickly depleting their normal stockpiles of parts. A
shortage of replacement parts will increasingly impair Army
Aviation support for earthquake relief operations, as helo
sorties decline because aircraft must wait for maintenance
(Ref A). Post estimates that an infusion of USD 16 million
is required to restore Pakistan's MI-17 fleet to a 70 percent
availability level over the next six months. End summary and
introduction.

Pakistani Army Aviation Operations
--------------

2. (C) Pakistan Army Aviation has 40 MI-17s, five of which
had been seconded to other GOP agencies (Note: The MI-17
that crashed on October 16 was one of these five. End note.)
Information available to post's Office of Defense
Representative - Pakistan (ODRP) and CENTCOM's Disaster
Assistance Center (DAC) indicated that, as of October 26, ten
(10) MI-17s have not been operational recently: six (6) are
being overhauled; one (1) would be uneconomical to repair;
one (1) suffered crash damage and two (2) have been
identified as excess defense articles and are being
cannibalized for parts. Of the remaining thirty MI-17s:

-- four (4) are out of the country supporting UN missions
-- four (4) are out of service for phased maintenance
-- two (2) are out of service for inspection
-- one (1) is out of service because of a rotor strike
-- one (1) is out of service because of a tail boom strike by
the main rotor
-- eighteen (18) are available for EQ relief operations*

* Based on ODRP and DAC observations, post believes that
true daily availability rate for Pak Army helos is closer to
fourteen (14),as maintenance on each aircraft can take 1-2
days.


3. (C) Pakistan Army Aviation had budgeted for 5000 flying
hours for the fiscal year beginning June 30, 2005. In the
weeks since the October 8 earthquake, the MI-17 fleet has
been flying at a dramatically accelerated operational tempo:
Pakistan Army Aviation claims that it is flying an average of
six (6) hours per operation aircraft per day. At this rate,
Army Aviation will burn through its flying hour allotment for
the year in the next month. The cost for 5000 hours of
flying based on thirty (30) operational MI-17s is
approximately USD 3 million. Pakistan Army Aviation planners
estimate that 15,000 MI-17 flying hours will be required to
support earthquake relief through April, based on thirty (3)
available MI-17s, the current rate of operation and the
eventual withdrawal of USG and other donors' rotary wing
assets. The current budget to operate Pakistan's entire 380
ship aviation fleet is only USD 40 million.


4. (C) Pakistan Army Aviation is in danger of becoming
Non-Mission Capable within a month; ODRP and DAC have already
noted a significant degradation in available aircraft for
daily sorties. Although Army Aviation Fleet Maintenance
Chief BG Najeeb Tariq has requested additional funding for
MI-17 parts and services, none has been forthcoming. Army
Aviation maintenance personnel have shared their concerns
with ODRP and DAC regarding the availability of parts in the
mid- to long-term, as they are quickly consuming available
stocks. (Note: Having ten MI-17s that are not operational
has turned into a boon for the maintenance crews, which has
been relying on stripping grounded aircraft for parts as a
short-term panacea. End notes.)


5. (C) ODRP and DAC estimate that USD 16 million would be
necessary to bring Pakistan's MI-17 fleet to a sustained 70
percent availability rate:

-- Restoration of one MI-17 with major damage: USD 1.2
million
-- Restoration of two EDA MI-17s cannibalized for parts: USD
1 million
-- Operational costs - 15,000 flying hours for thirty MI-17s
over six months: USD 9 million
-- Previously contracted overhaul of six MI-17s: USD 4.8
million


6. (C) If Pakistani Army Aviation fails to maintain a 70
percent availability rate, post questions how the GOP will
sustain relief operations throughout the winter. Many roads
in the disaster area will soon be cut off by snow and/or
future landslides. Army Aviation's heavy-lift MI-17 fleet is
the only realistic mechanism for delivering supplies to
earthquake survivors in isolated areas.



CROCKER