Photo By Senior Airman Renee Nicole Finona | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Devon Word, 48th Munitions Squadron conventional crew...... read more read more
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RAF LAKENHEATH, England -- Senior Airman Devon Word introduced an innovative solution that could save the 48th Fighter Wing and U.S. Air Force over 750 man-hours annually.
As a 48th Munitions Squadron conventional crew chief, Word identified a persistent problem with 20 mm ammunition replenisher tables frequently jamming and requiring constant troubleshooting and repairs.
The manual intervention necessary to resolve ammunition jamming may cause injury to the operator, so Word’s ingenuity addresses a recurring issue with a critical piece of equipment, significantly improving the safety and efficiency of operations.
“It was frustrating to see the team losing time and resources to repeatedly fix the same problem,” said Word. “I knew there had to be a better way.”
Word collaborated with Staff Sgt. Bethany Levi, Air Force Repair Enhancement Program non-commissioned officer in charge for the 48th Maintenance Group. They partnered to conceptualize and design a simple yet highly effective insert for the machine.
“Airmen working directly with equipment and processes often have unique insights into operational challenges and potential improvements,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Tolman, 48th MUNS commander. “The military’s willingness to embrace and implement ideas from frontline Airmen like Staff Sergeant select Word’s invention, demonstrate adaptability, which is crucial in rapidly changing operational environments.”
The 48th MUNS commander also noted how this invention conserves resources while enabling the operator to work uninterrupted.
The insert is designed to prevent ammunition jams during loading and reduce overall operation timelines by compensating for a table design flaw. The current gap between the rounds and the top of the replenisher table allows multiple rounds to fall onto the loader rather than a single round, leading to 15 minutes of troubleshooting per jam.
Levi, along with Senior Airman Joshuah Fontena, a 48th Equipment Maintenance Squadron aircraft metals technology journeyman, 3D-printed 11 prototypes and completed six trials on the load table.
After months of testing and adjustments, his innovation is in regular use within the squadron and has proven to drastically reduce machine malfunctions, resulting in a significant reduction in time spent reloading 20 mm ammunition.
For Word, the success of his project is a testament to teamwork and resourcefulness.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my fellow Airmen and leadership,” said Word. “This is the product of our shared commitment to improving the way we work.”
During the fiscal year 2023, there were 319 operations resulting in an average of 957 jams using the replenisher table, wasting approximately 798 man-hours due to the need for at least four personnel during operations.
The reclaimed hours, thanks to Word's innovation, will allow 48th MUNS Airmen to focus on other critical mission tasks.
Word and his fellow Airmen dedicated their time and focus to creating the 20 mm replenisher table insert to address a frontline operator issue, but the invention's overall impact has yet to be fully realized.
The team working on this innovation is currently in the process of patenting the design and sharing it with other munitions squadrons across the Air Force to significantly increase operational readiness and efficiency for all munitions Airmen facing this issue.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.20.2024 10:41 |
| Story ID: | 481387 |
| Location: | RAF LAKENHEATH, SUFFOLK, GB |
| Web Views: | 92 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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