UNDISCLOSED LOCATION -- Superior firepower is a key aspect of air superiority. The 332d Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron, Munitions Flight, provides weaponry to make sure warfighters can secure victory in any situation. On Oct. 28, 332d EMXS/AMMO Munitions Systems specialists assembled MK-84 conical bombs, preparing them to be loaded onto F-15E Strike Eagles.
Weighing approximately 2,000 pounds, the MK-84 is capable of penetrating up to 11 feet of concrete and spreading lethal shrapnel in a 400-yard radius.
Ammo is divided into multiple components, each responsible for different kinds of weaponry. Master Sgt. Thomas Berry, 332d EMXS/AMMO Production Systems Chief, says this is due to the wide variety of weapons with which Munitions Systems specialists have to become proficient.
“The personnel in each of these shops each play a vital role in providing our flying operators with bombs and missiles, aircraft countermeasures, egress capabilities and aircraft gun ammunition,” says Berry. “Additionally, they provide small arms to our Base Defenders, demolition explosives to [Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists] to keep the base populace safe, and support various agencies on base that utilize munitions.”
Berry also said Munitions Systems specialists rotate through the various components at regular intervals, creating well-rounded, multi-capable Airmen able to pivot to different skill sets as the mission requires.
“This plays a critical role in downrange environments where multiple shops can be combined into just a handful of elements where these highly skilled technicians and supervisors perform multiple functions on a daily basis.”