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    Munitions team helps Travis project American power

    Munitions team in action

    Photo By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman | Staff Sgt. Philip Downs 60th Maintenance Squadron Munitions Flight, inspects...... read more read more

    TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CA, UNITED STATES

    04.05.2017

    Story by Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman 

    60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs

    About a dozen Airmen at Travis Air Force Base, California, are responsible for safeguarding $13 million in munitions including thousands of rounds of 5.56 mm and 9 mm ammunition, as well as flares for more than 30 C-17 Globemaster III and C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft.

    The members of the 60th Maintenance Squadron’s Munitions Flight provide the 60th Security Forces Squadron with ammunition needed to protect nearly 10,000 people and resources in excess of $8.5 billion. The team also manages 52 organizational accounts and ensures a large stockpile of munitions are ready when needed.

    “We store, inspect and maintain a munitions stockpile to support the C-5, C-17 and 52 organizations with ammunition,” said Senior Airman Jarred Cotter, 60th MXS.

    “We assist the C-5 and C-17 with countermeasures,” he said. “Without countermeasures, if the aircraft were to fly over a danger zone and be shot at, the aircraft would not be capable of maneuvering to miss the threat. Every time I see our aircraft come back it makes me feel good because we possibly saved lives. I can go home at night knowing that people are going back to their families safe and sound.”

    The countermeasures Cotter speaks of consist of hundreds of flares positioned at specific points on C-17 and C-5 aircraft. Each flare burns at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, producing a heat signature that mimics the heat signature of the aircraft.

    If a C-17 or C-5 were to be fired upon, the aircrew could deploy one or several flares to avoid getting hit. In 2016, Travis aircrews flew 8,956 sorties and amassed 45,929 flight hours, delivering more than 37,000 tons of cargo and 32,000 personnel to a variety of locations around the world.

    The munitions flight helps Travis project American power, anytime, anywhere; ultimately advancing Air Mobility Command’s rapid global mobility and global reach capabilities, said Lt. Col. Claudio Covacci, 60th MXS commander.

    “The Travis ammo flight has AMC's largest munitions inventory and supports all three Travis aircraft; the C-5, C-17, and KC-10 Extender while sustaining 100 percent accountability, 99 percent scheduling effectiveness and 100 percent quality assurance pass rates,” said Covacci.

    “I am very impressed with our munitions specialists' high level of attention to detail and extreme care with the handling, storage, transportation and inspection of ammunition and explosives,” he said. “Our ammo Airmen provide Travis with pyrotechnic flares for aircraft on the flightline, smoke signal flares for aircrew survival kits, C-4 for explosive ordnance disposal teams and small arms ammunition for organizations like security forces, the Air Force Office of Special Investigations and the Contingency Response Wing. This small, yet significant unit ensures the safety of our Airmen and mission success.”

    Tech. Sgt. Anthony Castillo, 60th MXS NCO in charge of stockpile management and a senior munitions inspector, oversees munitions flight operations.

    “We follow a weekly schedule, but every day is different,” said Castillo. “We may be required to provide munitions for security forces, assist the 60th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight or the 621st Contingency Response Wing with emergency issue of ammunition because they frequently leave on short-notice missions.”

    Everyone on this team is fully qualified to do what’s asked of them, whether that’s inspecting munitions, taking accountability of munitions or transporting those munitions to the flightline, he said.

    Accountability of the 60th MXS munitions stockpile is taken daily and inspections are conducted on all munitions pulled from one of 22 storage facilities prior to delivering those munitions to customers.

    Castillo also said his team maintains a large supply of flares as they may be required to replace them at a moment’s notice. From January 1 to April 6, the munitions flight has performed 129 flare movements, nearly 25 percent of all such movements in 2016.

    “We maintain a surplus of flare because when an aircraft needs flare, we need to provide it quickly,” said Castillo. “An aircraft may only have one hour on the ground and we need to replace the flares in that hour so we always have flare available for our aircraft.”

    He said his Airmen have a significant impact on the mission every day.

    “Ensuring the safety of our brothers and sisters of arms and knowing that with what we do, we are supporting the fight, that’s a big deal,” he said. “Our mission has a big impact.”

    “Safeguarding the aircraft that are transporting munitions to service members on the ground makes me feel like I’m in the fight, even though I’m stateside,” said Staff Sgt. Philip Downs, 60th MXS munitions inspector.

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    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 04.05.2017
    Date Posted: 04.25.2017 14:11
    Story ID: 231494
    Location: TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, CA, US

    Web Views: 69
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN