The first time I saw an alternator installed like that, I just sat down and died. How could anyone install it, and not see that it's just simply, wrong. Then a CECOM guy told me that indeed, there is some obscure piece of equipment in the army, that needs that alternator, in that configuration. BUT, it has another NSN. And at times, supply clerks, in their "uninformed state", (I loved it when he used such nice phrases to indicate stupidity) thought, an alternator, is an alternator, looks the same, must be the same. Then gave it to an "Uninformed" mechanic to install.