An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

AMU Airmen enable pilots to drop bombs on target

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Tong Duong
  • 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  The roar of a bomber taking off momentarily deafens the cheering of the dozens of aircraft maintenance troops on top of their flightline perch, watching as their work comes to fruition.

The 37th Aircraft Maintenance Unit's primary mission here is to maintain the B-1B Lancers that provide air support for troops on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq.

More than 140 Airmen from the 28th Bomb Wing, Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., are deployed here to ensure there is a B-1 in the air around the clock, ready to provide air support, according to Chief Master Sgt. Timothy Byrd, 37th AMU superintendent.

"We have Airmen who specialize in offensive and defensive avionics, hydraulics, engine specialists, crew chiefs, weapons troops, environmental control specialists, and numerous other functions," Sergeant Byrd said.

"When aircraft land, the pilots come into the debriefing room and name all the discrepancies they had throughout the flight, how many bombs were dropped, and the number of chaff and flares used," said Master Sgt. Carlos Garcia, 37th AMU production superintendent. "We use those numbers to assign tasks, such as refueling the jets and doing post-flight inspections on the airframe."

To maintain efficiency and fluidity, the structure of the AMU here is the same as it is at Ellsworth.

"We are set up exactly like we are back home," Sergeant Byrd said. "Some of the career fields are cut trained, meaning they can do other things outside of their specialty. For example, some of our weapons troops are trained to marshal aircraft or drive tows."

Another advantage of having a large number of troops deployed here from the same squadron is teamwork.

"The camaraderie here is huge. If one of the aircraft lands, it's not just the crew chiefs out there," Sergeant Byrd said. "You'll see Airmen from other sections clustered around that aircraft to get it ready to fly again. If you were to bring Airmen from different bases here, you wouldn't have the same level of teamwork."

"We're expected to hit the ground running. We don't have the time to get to know each other and get a feel for what each of us can or can't do," he said.

One of the challenges the AMU faces is parts availability. Although the team brings kits that contain frequently used aircraft parts, some items are hard to come by even in the states.

"We store and issue B-1 specific parts," said Staff Sgt. Stephen Kennedy, 37th AMU supply specialist. "It's hard to get big parts such as the Low Observable Antenna, which weighs 425 pounds. Items such as hydraulic pumps and accessory drive boxes are also hard to come by."

According to 37th AMU Airmen, the best part of the job is watching their planes take off with a full weapons load and come back empty.

"We practice together and play together, and as long as we do that we'll succeed no matter what," said Staff Sgt. John Holochick, 37th AMU offensive avionics specialist. "I get a real sense of pride when our B-1s come back with fewer bombs because I know they are protecting our ground troops."

Being able to see what the impact of what they do day in and day out become a reality, is what motivates the Airmen, said Capt. Frank Faulhaber, 37th AMU officer-in-charge.

"All the maintainers that launch the jets go out to the perch to watch the planes take off," he said. "Watching the B-1's go over your head and hearing all the Airmen cheering, you know you've done something special."

According to Air Force fact sheets, the backbone of America's long-range bomber force, the B-1s job is to rapidly deploy massive quantities of both precision and non-precision bombs against adversaries, and it's the job of the 37th AMU to ensure these planes are up to the task.

"Our Airmen generate combat air power to put bombs on target when it's needed and how it's needed," Sergeant Byrd said. "We have to get the aircraft up and ready when they're needed."