Photo By Master Sgt. William Hopper | A 122nd Fighter Wing munitions storage facility sits under a fresh coating of snow,...... read more read more
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FORT WAYNE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. – Since the early 1990s the 122nd Fighter Wing Munitions Flight has occupied its current administrative, maintenance and storage facility in support of aircraft missions for the F-4 Phantom II, F-16 Fighting Falcon and the current A-10 Thunderbolt II. Since then the unit has grown along with mission expectations and the time has come to prepare for the move to a larger, more versatile complex allowing for increased capabilities.
“The new facility will allow us more functionality and streamlined processes,” said Chief Master Sgt. Jeffrey Hollenback, Munitions Flight Chief. “This facility benefits the base more than just the munitions shop as it makes us viable for future follow-on aircraft.”
The new complex, when complete, will consist of nine total buildings including a significantly larger administrative and maintenance building, three storage igloos, an above ground storage magazine, and multiple operating locations in total spanning over 10 acres of space on base.
The current munitions storage area was originally intended to sustain the needs of the F-16 when occupied in 1991. However, in 2004 it was determined that the area was no longer suitable for current mission requirements and when transitioning to the A-10 in 2010 this became even more apparent. Several issues contributed to the unfavorable conditions.
First, compatibility issues don’t allow certain items to be stored together preventing the wing from keeping all necessary ordnance onsite and further contributing to the decreased capabilities of the aircraft. Secondly, during the F-16 era the current munitions administrative and maintenance building was designed for 48 people. With the current mission, the installation now houses more than 60 munitions troops and requires 87 bodies, the assumption that the facility is overcrowded, can’t be understated. Lastly, due to the large personnel contingency present in such a small area, operational conflicts have been caused that require evacuation of areas in close proximity to areas of certain maintenance activities.
The new facility will be great for our unit because we’ve grown in size since the start of the A-10 mission said Senior Airman Kyle Miller, a 6-year line driver with the 122nd Munitions Flight. Having more space will allow us to complete more essential activities.
Luckily for the diligent munitions unit the first phase of completion, which is expected soon, will allow them to occupy several new structures while simultaneously remaining in their current operating locations and accumulating the largest overall footprint on base second only to the flightline itself.
“The amount of work I see our munitions people do and looking at the new building is amazing,” said Hollenback. “While I may not see the full completion before I retire, we’ve been fighting for this for the last seven years.”
The entire project has had its fair share of delays since inception for various reasons including budget cuts, construction setbacks and other financially limiting factors. The good news is that several structures are near completion and soon to be occupied and the remaining buildings to be finished in the near future. While there is not yet a fiscal plan in place with a completion date there is optimism that plans will move forward in a timely manner.
| Date Taken: | 05.15.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2016 16:16 |
| Story ID: | 198151 |
| Location: | FORT WAYNE, INDIANA, US |
| Web Views: | 328 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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