SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The U.S. Army 3rd Battalion 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment hosted an information exchange, June 4, with the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing in an effort to arm Soldiers and Airmen with a better understanding of ground and aerial aspects of air superiority.
Airmen from the 380th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron kicked off the exchange in May by inviting a group of Patriot Soldiers to view an F-15 Strike Eagle and discuss the strike aspect from the air perspective.
The F-15 Strike Eagle is a twin-engine all-weather fighter jet that can exceed speeds of Mach 2 and is capable of holding more than 10 different types of munitions, according to Airman 1st Class Michael, 380 EAMXS munitions load crew member.
“The F-15 is the jet with the most air-to-ground capabilities in the fighter world,” Michael said. “This makes my job vitally important because if something doesn’t get loaded correctly and the target isn’t taken out, then the mission failure falls back on us. So we really try to make sure nothing goes wrong.”
Michael, along with other load crew Airmen, spoke in-depth with the visiting Soldiers about the similarities and differences of loading weapons for different aspects of the same mission.
The 3-2 Lethal Strike Soldiers then invited Airmen to get a first-hand look at the Patriot Missile launchers and how they’re loaded.
Patriot Missiles are Medium-Range Air Defense Systems designed to counter tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft within a 50 mile range and an altitude of 15 miles. For this reason, the 380th AEW relies on six crews of Soldiers to compliment air defense operations.
Among the Airmen given the opportunity to load a missile launcher was Tech. Sgt. Wesley, 380 EAMXS assistant section chief.
“I was impressed seeing the similarities between our two services during loading operations,” Wesley said. “Everything from the safety brief at the beginning of each operation and how each member has a unique role and responsibility to ensure the safe handling of munitions. It was very similar to the way that our weapons load crews upload munitions onto the fighter aircraft.”
Spc. Brittany, Army 3rd Battalion 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment Charlie Battery missile technician, said that crews train once a week to ready a Patriot launcher within the designated one hour time-frame.
“We make sure everything is ready with the launchers,” Brittany said. “We also do a lot of maintenance on them to make sure we don’t run into any problems or complications. If there’s a problem, we clear it up.”
Brittany is part of a crew of more than 10 Soldiers who work 24-hour shifts to maintain readiness. Half of her crew is responsible for loading and maintenance of the Patriot missiles, while the other half monitors and launches them, she said.
Capt. Spencer, Army 3rd Battalion 2nd Air Defense Artillery Regiment commander, said that he hoped both Soldiers and Airmen walk away from the visits with a clearer understanding of the purpose and importance of their function to the overall mission.
"Patriot is fairly unique in the Army because we fight in a strictly defensive capacity, whereas most Army units have an offense oriented mission in nature,” Spencer said. “Through our continuous preparation and vigilance we shield the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing from air attacks, so that they can safely send out their jets to strike at our enemies. As a result, the Air Force and Army work together to dominate by acting as the sword and shield of air superiority."
(Due to safety and security concerns last names were removed.)