CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION - TM-5-4120-394-BD0006

TM 5-4120-394-BD

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

BDAR FIXES SHALL BE USED ONLY IN COMBAT OR FOR

TRAINING AT THE DISCRETION OF THE COMMANDER

(AUTHORIZED TRAINING FIXES ARE LISTED IN APPENDIX E) IN

EITHER CASE DAMAGES SHALL BE REPAIRED BY STANDARD

PROCEDURES AS SOON AS PRACTICABLE.

Section I. GENERAL

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Scope. This technical manual (TM) is for use by operators, organizational, and direct support/general support

maintenance personnel. It provides procedures and guidelines for battlefield repairs for environmental control units during

combat.

Purpose. The purpose of Battlefield Damage Assessment and Repair (BDAR) is to rapidly return disabled

equipment to the operational commander by expediently repairing, by-passing, or jury-rigging components to restore the

minimum essential systems required for the support of the specific combat mission. These repairs may be temporary and

may not restore full performance capability.

Manual Content. This TM describes BDAR procedures of a general nature applicable to all environmental

control units.

Repair guidelines. All possible types of combat damage and failure modes cannot be predicted nor are all effective

field expedient repairs known. This TM provides guidelines for assessing and repairing battlefield failures of

Environmental Control Units (ECU) and is not intended to be a complete catalog of all possible emergency repairs. The

repairs described here will serve as guidelines and will stimulate the experienced operator or mechanic to devise

expedients as needed to rapidly repair equipment in a combat crisis.

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Application. The procedures in this manual are designed for battlefield environments and should be used in

situations where standard maintenance procedures are impractical. These procedures are not meant to replace standard

maintenance practices, but rather to supplement them strictly in a battlefield environment. Standard maintenance

procedures will provide the most effective means of returning damaged equipment to ready status provided that adequate

time, replacement parts, and necessary tools are available. BDAR procedures are only authorized for use in an

emergency situation in a battlefield environment, and only at the direction of the commander.

Extent of Repair. BDAR techniques are not limited to simple restoration of minimum functional combat

capability. If full functional capability can be restored expediently with a limited expenditure of time and assets, this should

be done.

Repair Drawbacks. Some of the special techniques in this manual if applied, may result in shortened life or

damage to components of the ECU. The commander must decide whether the risk of having one less ECU available

outweighs the risk of applying the potentially destructive expedient repair technique. Each technique gives appropriate

warnings and cautions, and lists systems limitations caused by this action.

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Definitions. The following terms specific to BDAR are used in this TM.

Battlefield Damage. The term "battlefield damage" includes all incidents which occur on the battlefield and

which prevent the equipment from accomplishing its mission, such as combat damage, random failures, operator errors,

accidents, and wear-out failures.

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