Engineering Section

Introduction
Engineering Section provides specialist engineering support and airworthiness advice to all departments and customers at the Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit (JADTEU), as well as liaising with industry and Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) Integrated Project Teams (IPT's) on engineering specific issues. These often culminate in the production of prototype equipment to support a JADTEU trial.  A joint service and civilian workforce man the section.

Headed by a Squadron Leader Aerosystems Engineer, it consists of three different sections:

• Engineering Project Office
• Engineering Design Office (EDO)
• Workshops

Engineering Project Officers
The Section head and three Flight Lieutenant Aerosystems Engineers act as consultants to JADTEU’s lead sections, providing engineering advice, guidance on airworthiness requirements and regulations, and practical engineering experience.

This is normally the assessment of equipment’s structural integrity for flight as Helicopter Under-Slung loads, or as internal carriage in cargo aircraft.  The military engineering project officers also give experience of operational deployment and maintenance of equipment, providing knowledge of DE&S equipment support procedures and a worldwide no-notice deployed engineering advice capability. 

To assist JADTEU’s Helicopter Section during recovery of downed aircraft and Military Aid to the Civil Authority (MACA)/Military Aid to the Civil Community (MACC) tasks, engineering military project officers are trained as helicopter Landing Point Commanders enabling them to rig underslung loads for helicopter operations and command landing sites.

The civilian engineering project officer acts as subject matter expert for JADTEU engineering, providing in-depth knowledge of structural integrity calculations and testing, and trains the military staff upon their arrival at JADTEU.

Information regarding engineering design information on helicopter underslung loads, can be found in the helicopter section.

Designers

When JADTEU’s trials indicate that new support equipment is required to enable air transport of items, the Engineering Design Office (EDO) [comprising a Design Office Manager and 5 Engineering Designers] provides an in-house capability for the design, stress analysis and validation of such support equipment throughout the prototype development process.

EDO tasks range from special to type dunnage for load spreading to complete Aerial Delivery systems.  JADTEU is certified by the MODs Design Authority Organisation Scheme (DAOS) as competent to issue design certificates for the equipment it designs.

Workshops

The well equipped workshops are manned by a mix of MOD civilians, RAF Workshops trade and Royal Engineers, and overseen by a RAF Workshops trade Chief Technician. 

With carpentry, machining and welding specialisations, the workshops are capable of manufacturing the vast majority of JADTEU's prototype equipment in-house.  Co-located with the designers, it allows for the rapid modification and development of JADTEU's prototype equipment.

Equipment and Facilities

The level of experience and facilities within Engineering Section ensure that there is very little that JADTEU cannot manufacture to support a trial or prove a design.  

Engineering Section are very keen to provide advice to any organisation developing equipment which may be required to be flown in or under service aircraft; such advice early in the design stage can save industry and the MOD money by reducing the need for modifications at a later stage. 

This advice is free and we are keen to visit your organisation and staff and give examples of best practice.