Flight operations facility is heavily dependent on effective aircraft maintenance. The combination of aircraft equipment readiness, efficient usage of manpower and information, and productive maintenance management ensure the security and success of all flight operations. The right aviation assets are significant to the Army’s ability to sustain battlefield mobility. For instance, the maintenance and repair of highly complex aircraft is exceptionally important. To make sure that critical assets remain ready to fight, a highly developed maintenance system has developed from years of peacetime and combat operational knowledge. Practice has shown that experienced managers who understand the complexities of the Army’s aviation assets and the importance of these assets to battlefield mobility must be able to organize an effective maintenance program. United States look for possible ways to accomplish its strategic objectives in three various environments, using each and every element of national power. Peacetime, conflict and, war are the major environments that aviation maintenance has to be able to function in. Peacetime operations are categorized as support operations and/or stability operations. Even though the mission of aviation tends to change depending on the environment, the role of aviation maintenance predominantly remains constant although the dimensions of employment may change.

Contemporary Army aviation maintenance system is defined as a three-level system, thus consisting of Aviation Unit Maintenance (AVUM), Aviation Intermediate Maintenance (AVIM), and depot level maintenance. They also can be referred to Organizational Maintenance (O-Level), Intermediate Maintenance (I-Level), and Depot Maintenance (D-Level). Organizational maintenance is an everyday work that an operating unit accomplishes in support of its own operations. The major task of the O-level activity is to maintain its aircraft and equipment in a full mission capable status while improving the local maintenance process. At this level maintenance involves line operations, like inspections, servicing, and handling, as well as periodic inspections of aircraft equipment and associated tests.

Repairs and minor adjustments are also included into O-level maintenance and they do not require shop facilities as will as the removal and installation of components, thus performed in assigned facilities. For example, a squadron may obtain a variety of assigned facilities or may share the facilities with one or more other squadrons. O-level activity requires permanently assigned sailors normally to perform organizational maintenance. The operations maintenance division (OMD) performs O-level maintenance at naval air stations, thus providing extensive O-level maintenance and other assistance to transient aircraft. I-level maintenance is performed in centralized facilities providing the support of operating activities within a designated geographical region, at a particular base or station, and on aviation ships. The main task of I-level maintenance procedure is to keep up the combat readiness of supported assets by providing efficient and on-time material support at the nearest location with he lowest practical resource expenditure. Permanently and temporarily assigned sailors from tenant squadrons provide intermediate maintenance activities. In case when these squadrons deploy, their intermediate maintenance sailors accompany the squadron and are temporarily assigned to the aircraft intermediate maintenance department (AIMD). Depot-level maintenance supports both O-level and I-level by providing engineering assistance and performing maintenance that organizational and intermediate groups can not manage without.

Depot maintenance must be accomplished in an industrial-type facility that may either be civilian or military. Standard depot maintenance (SDLM) includes overhaul, repair, and modification of aircraft components and equipment. Depot maintenance also involves the process of manufacturing aeronautical parts for spares, kits for aircraft, and the modification of equipment. The depot level or a lower level also installs the spare parts and incorporates modification kits. The task and focus of aviation maintenance units are adjusted and functionally organized to provide AVUM and AVIM for the United States aviation force. They are staffed for the most part by Aviation Branch personnel, thus providing a unique maintenance and supply support to aviation forces and organizations. Aviation maintenance and supply – both technical and unit – must cooperate to return the maximum amount of equipment to the unit being used. Air and ground transportation must also be closely synchronized with aviation maintenance and supply support. Considering supply locations is efficient when planning aviation maintenance support positions. Both air and ground transportation systems are targeted to deliver repair parts, evacuate unserviceable materiel, deploy aviation maintenance units, and recover downed aircraft. Aviation maintenance support units rely on transportation support from other units, thus having limited organic transportation potential.