Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreSenior Airman Elizabeth Huerta, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, loads a flare trailer at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 26, 2017. The trailer was taken to the flight line for aircraft loading.
From the cartridges used by security forces, to the guided bombs utilized downrange, the 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron’s munitions flight, also known as AMMO, provides Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., the firepower necessary to accomplish its missions and increase the lethality of the U.S. Air Force.
Arming Airmen and ensuring our aircraft are ready to destroy the opposition is no small task and requires a great deal of teamwork.
“The teamwork in AMMO is unlike anything else out there,” said Airman 1st Class Dalton Farmer, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron crew member. “You don’t even have to ask for help because everybody always has your back.”
No one section of the munitions flight can function without the other. For example, the flight’s conventional section could not carry out its core function of assembling bombs if the stockpile section was unable to bring the materials required to perform a build. Each crewmember also takes part in jobs which are outside of their sector in order to lessen the workload for their coworkers.
“We try to make sure everyone gets to experience a little bit of each section,” said Senior Airman Elizabeth Huerta, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron crew member. “I essentially get different people who work with me every day — this helps them grow their skill set.”
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreStaff Sgt. Jonathon Robbins, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, and Tech. Sgt. Adam Ostheimer, technician assigned to the 707th Maintenance Squadron out of Barksdale Air Force Base, La., detach a tail kit from a bomb at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 20, 2017. The 2,000 pound bomb was a GPS and internal navigation system guided GBU-31 joint direct attack munition.
The munitions flight’s unity can partially be attributed to activities they engage in together outside of the workplace.
“We sometimes do bike races or have breakfast in the shop on Fridays in order to build cohesion,” said Master Sgt. Anthonio Dais, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron noncommissioned officer in charge of conventional maintenance. “These activities help build a bond between the different sections. For example, people on the bomb pad won’t leave until the crewmembers in the 30 mm section are good to go as well.”
AMMO’s teamwork goes beyond the scope of a single flight and spreads to other agencies on base.
“I know everyone in the Air Force has their role, but I definitely think we play a critical part in assisting with the mission,” Dais said. “Basically anything that explodes, from bullets to grenades to bombs, is provided by us.”
AMMO ensures aircraft and defense personnel on base and abroad are ready to win any fight, any time.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreAirman 1st Class Brett Mohney, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, shovels expended 30 mm cartridge casings which have returned from the flight line at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 27, 2017. The expended casings were fired from the GAU-8 Avenger 30 mm cannon used on the A-10C Thunderbolt II.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreAirmen unload GBU-31 joint direct attack munitions from a trailer at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 20, 2017. The 2,000 pound bombs are GPS and internal navigation system guided GBU-31 joint direct attack munitions.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreAirman 1st Class Raehs Puetz, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, secures a retainer plate to a flare magazine at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 26, 2017. The flares housed inside the magazine are used as a countermeasure for enemy heat seeking missiles.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreAirman 1st Class Raehs Puetz and Staff Sgt. Jonathon Robbins, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technicians, position an umbilical cable cover to protect the umbilical of a GBU-31 joint direct attack munition at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 20, 2017. The umbilical enables communication
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreAirman 1st Class Brett Mohney, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, separates 30 mm cans in preparation for loading operations at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 26, 2017. The ammo cans are bundled together so they are easier to transport during shipping.
Air Force photograph by Airman 1st Class Frankie D. MooreStaff Sgt. Jonathon Robbins, 355th Equipment Maintenance Squadron technician, operates Common Munitions Bit/Reprogramming Equipment at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., July 20, 2017. This computer tests and reprograms the joint direct attack munition’s tail kit to ensure the bomb can steer toward its target.
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