Weapons loaders arm jets for the fight

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. John Gordinier
  • 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq (AFNS) --  Without the work of Airmen who load munitions on aircraft, F-16 Fighting Falcons in the fight here would be no different than any commercial airliner in terms of strike capability.

Combat missions occur around the clock here and weapons loaders from the 332nd Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron are on shift 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making sure every aircraft is armed properly and safely.

"Our munitions loaders are an integral part of the team ... because they load munitions and get aircraft ready to go for the pilots," said Col. Perry Oaks, the 332nd Expeditionary Maintenance Group commander.

"If I can't put bombs on the airplanes, all I have is an aircraft with intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capability," continued the colonel deployed from Fort McNair, D.C. "With the bombs on the aircraft that the loaders enable, all of a sudden, I've got a sting that can be delivered to the enemy."

There are essentially three jobs weapons loaders perform: loading of munitions, end-of-runway inspection and armament maintenance.

As far as weapons loading and EOR inspections, weapons loaders work in teams of three in order to provide backup, safety and assistance. Each member has their own set of responsibilities.

"In weapons loading, we have one person who is essentially the NCO who has the checklist and informs the team of all the necessary information including safety requirements. They oversee everything, and if anything goes wrong, the team goes to them," said Senior Airman Nadja Answorth, a 332nd EAMXS weapons loader.

"The 'two' person is responsible for preparing the station we are about to load onto," continued the native of Puyallup, Wash., deployed from Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. "The 'three' person, which is what I am, is responsible for making sure the munitions are safe and that they match mission requirements. I also drive an MJ-1, or a bomb lift, to lift the weapons up for the attachment to the aircraft."

Weapons loaders working EOR are responsible for getting that last good look-over to ensure nothing is wrong, and make sure the bombs are actually going to drop if needed, Airman Answorth said.

"Loaders pull the safety pins and perform final checks before the aircraft flies its mission," said Tech. Sgt. Brett Kitzman, a 332nd EAMXS weapons loader from Aurora, Colo. He is deployed from Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

Not all weapons loaders are outside in the heat loading munitions. Some work in the armament section performing maintenance and inspections. 

"Loaders here in the armament backshop perform scheduled maintenance on anything that a bomb or missile touches," said Staff Sgt. Eduardo Sera, a 332nd EAMXS weapons loader and armament systems journeyman. "Everything gets inspected, but we do not deal with the munitions themselves -- only equipment the munitions touch."

All equipment that is used to hold the bombs to the aircraft, mechanically or electrically, comes here for maintenance and inspections, continued the native of West Covina, Calif., deployed from Spangdahlem AB. There are 90-day, annual, bi-annual and 18-month inspections to maintain serviceability; it all depends on what type of suspension system the equipment has. 

Airman Answorth said she has been a weapons loader for three years, and she loves it.

"It gives you a sense of accomplishment, especially when you come downrange and actually get to see what you've been practicing for at home-station," she said. "When you hear the jet take off, there is a sense of pride. When you see that afterburner kick in, you know that jet is armed with your munitions, and it gives you a great feeling knowing you did your job right."

"(Weapons loaders) take a lot of pride in making sure everything works perfectly," Colonel Oaks said. "They have done superbly."

"Day in and day out, over the last year, we've flown approximately 26,000 combat missions, and we have about a 99 percent mission effectiveness and that is great by anyone's methods," Colonel Oaks said. "We take a lot of pride in being able to provide safe, reliable weapons for the aircraft and the pilots flying the combat missions."