The A-10C Thunderbolt II’s arsenal creates a sound that is unforgettable; it puts fear into our enemies and exhilarates our forces.
The weapons troops are responsible for loading ammunition into the GAU-8 Avenger Gatling gun, loading bombs and disassembling weapons systems for inspection and cleaning.
“I get to see rounds being dispensed, pilots getting trained and enemies being eliminated, this career has great job satisfaction,” said Master Sgt. Jerrime Williams, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron armament flight NCOIC at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
Without the support of weapons troops the A-10 would just be an expensive single person aircraft and the troops on the ground would be without close air support.
“Our jobs as weapons personnel, means we cover everything weapon related including working on the gun system, bomb systems and loading the jet with live ammunition,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Fuller, 355th EMS gun section supervisor.
In order for the A-10’s missions to run smoothly all systems have to be fully functional and ready for action, this includes the weapons.
For instance, the GAU-8 has scheduled inspections and cleaning based on time and use. Weapons Airmen start by taking off panels from the A-10’s nose all the way to the underbelly, completely exposing the gun and it’s components.
“The 30mm gun system consists of three components, the Gatling gun itself, the hydraulic drive motor, and the drum which holds up to 1,500 rounds of ammunition,” said Fuller.
Once all bolts are loosened and certain parts are taken off the gun is ready to be removed and taken to the armament flight for inspection and cleaning.
“We inspect it every 25,000 rounds or 36 months,” said Williams. “The system comes in, we do a clean, lube it and change out certain parts.”
The armament flight takes apart it to the smallest components and washes off the grease and lube leaving behind a silver skeleton of a gun. Before reassembly, they apply fresh grease to gears and moving parts to ensure friction is minimal and perform a last inspection.
“We go over every part to ensure there’s no cracks, no rust, no wear and tear,” said Williams.
As soon as the gun is returned to its rightful place, the A-10 is ready for its next mission, whether it is training, exercises or combat.
“The A-10 is mainly [used for] ground support which means it is used when our troops were getting shot at,” Fuller said. “When I fully load a jet with bombs and ammo and it comes back with nothing, I feel proud, because I know what I did was directly involved with saving lives.”