The HCU-6/E or
463L Master Pallet is a standardized
palletA pallet , sometimes called a skid, is a flat transport structure that supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, pallet jack, front loader or other jacking device. A pallet is the structural foundation of a unit load which allows handling and storage efficiencies...
used for transporting military air cargo. It is the main air-cargo pallet of the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, designed to be loaded and offloaded on today's military airlifters as well as many civilian
Civil Reserve Air FleetThe Civil Reserve Air Fleet is part of the United States's mobility resources. Selected aircraft from U.S. airlines, contractually committed to Civil Reserve Air Fleet, support United States Department of Defense airlift requirements in emergencies when the need for airlift exceeds the capability...
(CRAF) cargo aircraft.
Description
The "SS-463L" project was developed by a U.S. Air Force committee in 1957 and awarded to the Douglas Aircraft Company in 1959. The "SS-463L Pallet Cargo Handling System" specifications for aircraft (aka "463L") included a "Master Pallet" design to meet a component of the materiel handling specifications of this system. The "Master Pallet" was contracted to the AAR Cadillac Manufacturing Corporation, at one time AAR Cadillac Corp, and now
AAR CorporationAAR CORP. is an aviation support company. Founded in 1951, AAR provides a broad range of products and services to the aerospace and government/defense industries, with a nearly even split between them...
.
In the 1950s, the U.S. Air Force used a standard designation system for all awarded projects. The "SS" represents (Support System), the "463" represents an assigned general system category, 400-499 series for "Support Systems", and the suffix "L" also represents "Support Systems". Thus, "463L" is the name of the system.
The standard HCU-6/E pallet in the "463L" system was designed and finalized in the early 1960s by the AAR Cadillac Corp. to implement the "SS-463L Pallet Cargo Handling System" now known as "Materials Handling Support System "463L"". The original design of the HCU-6/E pallet met the standards of the Universal Cargo Handling Rail System design in 1962 for the C-130 and C-141 transport aircraft. The new sturdy HCU-6/E pallet was a drastic improvement to the older lightweight balsa wood pallets used by the Air Force in previous years.
It has often been thought that the 463L stands for the year that the pallet was initiated April 1963.
Each HCU-6/E pallet is 88 inches (224 cm) wide, 108 inches (274 cm) long, and 2-1/4 inches (5.7 cm) high. The usable space is 84 in (213 cm) by 104 in (264 cm). It can hold up to 10,000
lbThe pound or pound-mass is a unit of mass used in the Imperial, United States customary and other systems of measurement...
(4,500 kg) of cargo at 8
gThe g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
. Empty, each pallet weighs 290 lb (130 kg), or 355 lb (160 kg) with two side nets and a top net.
Based on the HCU-6/E air cargo Master Pallet, additional components include the HCU-7/E side net, the HCU-15/C top net, and the CGU-1/B Device or cargo strap. MB-1 Devices or MB-2 Devices may be used with appropriate chains.
The "463L Master Pallets" can be unloaded on the ground in peacetime or in combat, or
airdropAn airdrop is a type of airlift, developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible troops, who themselves may have been airborne forces. In some cases, it is used to refer to the airborne assault itself. Early airdrops were conducted by dropping or pushing padded bundles from...
ped with a parachute.
They are built of a
balsaOchroma pyramidale, commonly known as the balsa tree , is a species of flowering plant in the mallow family, Malvaceae. It is a large, fast-growing tree that can grow up to tall. It is the source of balsa wood, a very lightweight material with many uses...
wood core and surrounded by a thin aluminum skin. There are 22 rings surrounding the edge, each rated at 7,500 lb (3,400 kg).
In 2005 the United States Air Force contracted with Shan Industries' Thermodynamics Division in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma to construct the "AIP" Associated Intermodal Platform, allowing the 463L to stay with the plane while the AIP would be used off the plane. The AIP was designed and developed by Robert Lux of Oklahoma and has a pending patent for the pallet which measures 102" x 82" x 8" and is manufactured with the Rotational Molding process using LLDPE (Linear Low Density Polyethylene) and stainless steel.
See also
- Unit Load Device
A unit load device , is a pallet or container used to load luggage, freight, and mail on wide-body aircraft and specific narrow-body aircraft. It allows a large quantity of cargo to be bundled into a single unit. Since this leads to fewer units to load, it saves ground crews time and effort and...
(ULD), lightweight aluminium and plastic pallet or container, designed for commercial aircraft.
- Department of Defense container system
The Department of Defense container system comprises all U.S. Department of Defense-owned, leased, and controlled 20- or 40-foot intermodal ISO intermodal containers and flatracks, supporting equipment such as generator sets and chassis, container handling equipment, information systems, and other...
- Oversize cargo
Oversize cargo is a single item that exceeds the usable dimensions of a 463L master pallet ....