Kitchen in a Box

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. J. Justin Pearce
  • 403rd Wing
Keelser AFB, Miss. --  Napoleon once said an army marches on its stomach. That’s the basic idea behind the Air Force’s newest way to provide hot meals to troops in the field, the Single Pallet Expeditionary Kitchen. 

Five members of the 403rd Services Flight were recently trained on the SPEK at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Ga. They were part of a group of 22 Reservists who learned how to set up and operate the mobile kitchen. 

Attending from the 403rd were Senior Master Sgt. Marquis Westry, Tech. Sgt. James Darouse, Staff Sgt. Tara Lewis, Senior Airman Angela Bailey-Meeks and Senior Airman Aaron McKenzie. 

The rapidly deployable, temporary kitchen will replace the Mobile Kitchen Trailer as the unit used to deliver meals in remote and undeveloped locations. A TEMPER tent equipped with interior lighting houses the cooking and serving equipment. 

The SPEK is capable of serving up to 550 troops in a two-hour period twice-a-day for up to 45 days. 

According to Sergeant Westry, the SPEK is much more efficient than the MKT, partly because of a new piece of equipment known as the Babington Airtronic Burner used to prepare meals.
“The Airtronic is much cleaner burning than the old M2 burner, and it uses less fuel,” he said. 

The M2, which has been in service since 1959, burns gasoline and uses a generator that requires preheating before actual burner lighting. It also has a checkered safety record. The Airtronic burner uses diesel but is capable of burning any combustible liquid, including liquids such as peanut oil. It employs the unique Babington fuel-atomization technique to achieve high-efficiency, reliable, smokeless operation. 

As a safety feature, it also has an automatic turn-off if the shelter rolls over. A 30-degree tilt on either side or a 60-degree tilt front-to-back causes the burner to shut off automatically. 

The SPEK is used to prepare ration packs known as UGR - Unitized Group Rations – that come ready to heat and serve. They are referred to by Services personnel as “tray packs.” The hermetically sealed tray packs contain thermally processed, pre-prepared, shelf-stable foods with a shelf life of at least 18 months at 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The tray packs also serve as the heating pan and serving tray. Tray packs are boiled for approximately 45 minutes in a tray ration heater, which can hold up to 18 tray packs at a time. 

Currently, the UGRs are offered with seven breakfast menus and 14 lunch/dinner menus. Breakfast options include omelet with ham and potatoes, turkey sausage links and scrambled eggs with turkey sausage and potatoes. Lunch/dinner offerings include chicken breast in gravy, spaghetti and meatballs, veal parmesan and sweet and sour pork. 

The SPEK also features a Field Sanitation Unit comprised of a triple sink to wash, rinse and sanitize utensils and pans. It is equipped with an Airtronic Burner Assembly that heats the water in each sink to a pre-determined temperature range. 

As its name implies, the SPEK fits onto a single air cargo pallet and can be transported by air or ground. The entire SPEK can be set up by eight people in less than two hours and requires a four-person crew to operate the equipment and serve the food. 

Training at Dobbins consisted of classroom time and hands-on training in a simulated field environment. Members of the 403rd team unloaded a palletized SPEK, set it up, and prepared a meal in the unit. 
“It was pretty easy to set up,” said Sergeant Darouse, assistant NCO-in-charge of Readiness. “The best thing about SPEK is that it requires less manpower to set up and the Babington Burner System will make it easier than the M2 burner. 

“Basically, we’ll be able to provide all personnel in the field a hot meal and a wide variety of food compared to the MRE,” Sergeant Darouse said. “It will be a morale booster. Everybody likes to have a hot meal in the field.” 

Currently, the 403rd Services Flight has only a few components of the SPEK, but will eventually have an entire SPEK in its inventory. 

According to Sergeant Westry, 403rd Services personnel will be ready to use it. “After going through the training, we feel pretty comfortable with it,” he said.

FYI
  -The new Single Pallet Expeditionary kitchen fits onto one C-130, 463L load pallet

  -Can be operated by as few as four Airmen 
 
  -Takes eight Airmen four hours to set up and two additional hours to begin service

  -Serves up to 550 troops in a two-hour period u Is capable of sustaining 550 troops for two meals per day for 45 days

  -Offers a wider variety of meal choices, building on the Meals Ready to Eat group of rations

  -Unitized Group Rations have seven breakfast meals and 14 lunch/dinner menus

  -Add-ons such as the griddle system will allow Services to prepare “A-Rations” which is fresh food such as hamburgers, chicken breasts and an endless variety of foods based on availability 

  -A new convection oven will also allow for greater flexibility for Air Force chefs who want to prepare baked goods such as cakes or cornbread

  -Sanitation is greatly improved, allowing Services personnel to clean up faster. It has fewer working parts and is more robust