Ammo: Giving Warthog its lethal bite

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Andrew Gates
  • 455th Expeditionary Operations Group Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AFPN) --  As coalition soldiers conduct operations throughout Afghanistan, A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, or Warthogs as they are commonly known, are a frequent sight in the sky.

When a Warthog must strike, one team here “sharpens its tusks,” making sure that the aircraft’s “bite” is effective and lethal.

The Airmen of the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron’s ammo flight keep those “tusks” honed, said Senior Airman Kenneth Kauzlaurich, a munitions specialist here.

The biggest portion of the job is building and maintaining the munitions used on the A-10s -- the laser-guided bombs, missiles and rockets -- that patrol the sky over Afghanistan. Another, lesser known task is to test the missiles, launchers and guidance systems of the munitions.

“We ensure the munitions function correctly and keep them mission capable,” Airman Kauzlaurich said.

After 20 flights, if a munition has not been used, the team does a full inspection, making sure everything is connected and works, said Senior Airman Luis DeLeon, another munitions specialist.

“Every fuse has a shelf life. They are only guaranteed for so long,” he said. “We want to make sure that no equipment goes over its shelf life.”

During those inspections, the Airmen also test the guidance units of the bombs and missiles. They said these inspections are critical in the harsh Afghanistan environment.

“When we first got in-country, the weather was hot during the day and very cold at night,” said Airman 1st Class Brett Curry, another munitions specialist. “Parts on the munitions often broke. In the summer, we have extreme winds, so dust gets into the mechanisms. We have to make sure that we clean them out during the inspections.”

The team uses a graphite lubricant to try to keep the dust away when building munitions, Airman Kauzlaurich said.

“We have different cleaning kits for each munition, but using the graphite helps keep the dust from sticking to the weapon,” he said.

Ammunition flight Airmen are responsible for hundreds of thousands of pounds of munitions here. The amount varies depending on when they get new shipments, or whether an A-10 uses munitions during a mission, Airman Curry said.

Putting those munitions together often develops into a pseudo assembly-line process. Each person completes a particular part of the process. Completing the task depends a lot on the crew, as well as preparation, Airman Kauzlaurich said.

“A good crew can build six GBU-12s (500-pound laser-guided bombs) in about 15 to 20 minutes. They can (load) about 1,150 rounds of 30 mm ammunition in about eight minutes,” he said. “Preparation is huge, though, making sure (we) have all the parts and tools ready to put together the munitions.”

Each different weapon requires a kit; containing specialized tools. For instance, to put together the GBU-12s, munitions crews need a 6-foot torque wrench.

“That’s a two-person job,” Airman Kauzlaurich said. “One person holds the head of the wrench against the weapon, while the other one pulls down on the wrench.”

The Airmen said working on munitions at a deployed location is much different than working on them at home base. Of course, the first difference is the amount of live ammunition the team gets to prepare and test.

“Most of our material is inert back home,” Airman Curry said. “Here, we use the real deal.”

The camaraderie is also a change from home.

“You work more as a team here,” Airman DeLeon said. “At home, everyone has different missions. Here, everyone has the same ultimate goal: making sure the weapon works when a pilot needs it.”

The two differences help the team learn a great deal.

“You learn so much during a deployment,” Airman Kauzlaurich said. “You get to apply everything you (learned) in your technical school and training courses.”

Although missiles interest Airman Kauzlaurich, since they are the most technical aspect of the job, he said he enjoys preparing the 30 mm ammunition.

“Running 30 mm is great because it’s fast-paced,” he said. “You are always busy when you are working with it.”

Ultimately, the mission is putting weapons on aircraft. When the ammo Airmen hear discussions from pilots or see evidence their munitions were used, “it’s a great feeling,” Airman DeLeon said. “We know that the munitions work.”

“It puts it into perspective,” Airman Kauzlaurich said. “You can see what you are doing makes a difference.”