Keeping the Birds in the Sky

Airman 1st Class Ancel Miller, an Electrical and Environmental Technician for the 7th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, fills out maintenance paperwork after completing work on a B-1B Lancer, Jan. 29, 2009, in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The paperwork documents all maintenance that is done on the aircraft so the next shift to come on duty will know what has been done to the aircraft. Airman Miller hails from Orange, Texas and is deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia/released)

Keeping the Birds in the Sky

Staff Sgt. Marvin Fleming, an Electrical and Environmental Technician for the 7th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, performs maintenance on the back up oxygen system of a B-1B Lancer, Jan. 29, 2009, in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The system provides the breathing oxgen to the aircrew while on missions. Sergeant Fleming is a native of Long Beach, Calif. and is deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa.(U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia/released)

Keeping the Birds in the Sky

Staff Sgt. Trevor Helm, a crew chief for the 7th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, washes the windshield of a B-1B Lancer prior to a mission, Jan. 29, 2009, in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The windows require a special solvent be used to clean them due to the material used in the window. Sergeant Helm is native to Lisbon, Maine and is deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia/released)

Operation Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force- Horn of Africa

The bomb bay of a B-1B Lancer is loaded and ready for another mission, Jan. 29, 2009, in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia. The Lancer is deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas in support of Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom and Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua Garcia/released)

Airmen keep Lancer ready for bombs on target

Published Feb. 3, 2009
By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
379th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- The B-1B Lancer constantly helps coalition forces defeat terrorists with its ability to carry the largest payload of any aircraft in the U.S. inventory, and can still move in excess of 900 miles per hour while fully loaded. But in order for a Lancer to keep flying its missions, Airmen assigned here to the 379th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron's 7th Aircraft Maintenance Unit work 24-hours a day making sure the bomber is operational.

The majority of the missions the Lancer is used for are close air support in Afghanistan, though some do go into Iraq, said Tech. Sgt. Jack Thomas, 7 AMU airframe power plant generation section chief, deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas.

"The B-1's primary mission is (long-range bombing), but because of the nature of combat these days, we have moved into more of a close air support role," the San Angelo, Texas native said. "We can fill that role because of the Sniper (Advanced Targeting) Pod we have on the bomber. We can do the same thing (an F-15E) Strike Eagle can do, but we can carry a lot more munitions, and we can stay up there a lot longer."

The Sniper Pod is a device which allows the B-1B to accurately identify targets at long ranges without additional aids such as other aircraft or ground personnel. The system is similar to Sniper pods, which have been successfully used on the F-15, F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II.

Because of the accuracy provided by the Sniper pod, the amount of munitions a B-1B can hold and the length of time it can stay in the air, Sergeant Thomas said, the bomber is a highly requested asset.

"The bomber can loiter in one part of Afghanistan, and as soon as they get a call, they can be somewhere else quickly to drop weapons," said Master Sgt. Guy Matherly, 7 AMU B-1 Specialist Flight Chief, deployed from Dyess AFB.

For the B-1B to complete its mission here, more than 150 Airmen from eight Air Force specialties work together for the bomber to be successful.

"The B-1 is probably the most maintenance-intensive aircraft in the Air Force inventory, it's a technical monster," Sergeant Thomas said. "It takes the most man-hours to generate flights, so everyone who's attached to B-1B maintenance works really hard."

The reason it's so technically difficult to work on is because of how specialized and sophisticated an aircraft the Lancer is and how often it receives upgrades. The bomber regularly receives upgrades to its software, weapons, avionics systems, etc., so there is a lot for maintenance workers to keep current on, Sergeant Matherly said.

Chief Master Sgt. Alvin Flores, 7 AMU superintendant deployed from Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, feels the unit will continue to have the same high mission success rate the unit had during the past six months.

"We have the right mix of people here," the Lakeview, Texas, native said. "Most of the guys we have out here right now are seasoned 7- and 5-levels, so we have a strong work force here to set the tone for us."

He also said all the individuals who deployed here from Dyess AFB, volunteered to come here so they could have a direct impact on the B-1's mission.

"Everyone knew they would be away from their families for six months, but about six months ago when we asked for volunteers, we had people waiting in line to come here to make a difference," Chief Flores said. "I think that's the thing I'm most proud of in our squadron."