More than just bombs on target

  • Published
  • By MSgt. Jeff Walston
  • 307th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
Barksdale AFB, La. --  When the aircrew of a B-52 Stratofortess is in the heat of combat operations 30,000 feet above a target area, one thing they don't need to worry about is whether any of the 70,000 pounds of weapons it's capable of carrying fail to release. Attempting to land with a release malfunction (hung bomb) can create problems for both the aircrew and those on the ground.

The B-52 is a long-range, subsonic, strategic bomber that has been the backbone of the United States' bomber force for more than 50 years, and is capable of deploying a large array of weapons, including general purpose bombs, cluster bombs, mines, and a variety of precision guided bombs and missiles.

Aircraft armament systems technicians assigned to the 307th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron are tasked with the responsibility of ensuring weapons are correctly loaded and unloaded on the aircraft, as well as inspecting, troubleshooting, repairing and performing needed maintenance on the weapons release system.

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Phillip Hughes is one of those technicians. He transferred to the 917th Wing after the inactivation of the 926th Fighter Group at New Orleans in 2006.

"I've been a Weapons Loader for 13 years. Twelve of those years were spent working on the A-10. In July 2013, I came over to the B-52, when the 917th Fighter Group inactivated ... I can tell you the B-52 is a bit different," Hughes said.

Loading weapons, whichever the airframe, is a precise endeavor. Even with 12 years of experience loading weapons, Hughes stepped into the third position of a four-man crew when he arrived at the 307th Bomb Wing. But, after only 11 months on the team, he's now a load crew team chief, which he contributes to his work ethics and attention to detail.

"I'm constantly in the technical order. If I don't understand, I go research it," he said. And, a "get it done attitude" has earned him respect from his peers.

Tech. Sgt. Tony Rodriguez, who has been a weapons loader since 1985, and is the #2 man on the crew, said about Hughes, "It takes all of us to do the job, but I enjoy working with him most of all. I respect him and his abilities."

In addition to Hughes' responsibility as team chief, he is also a weapons loading trainer. Each month he trains crews on their loading knowledge and performance, keeping them up to standards and certified as loaders, so when called upon they are ready to perform the job, at home or abroad.

"Hughes has the maturity to instruct and guide younger, inexperienced Airmen, to get the maximum performance when called upon in our career field," Rodriguez said.

For Hughes, being a weapons loader is more than just a full-time job, "it's doing things right the first time and making sure each aircraft is fully mission capable."

"The most challenging thing for me now, is learning the loading standards and functions of the weapons system on a new airframe. But, the reward for all that work comes when the plane drops all the munitions and return safe," Hughes said.

"Back in Afghanistan in 2004, we had our A-10s go into alert with Army troops pinned down. We were off the ground in 10-15 minutes, armed, loaded and out of there. When they came back with everything dropped and the gun had fired on enemy forces, well, that's a good feeling knowing we helped get those Army troops out of there," he said.

John Donne wrote, "No man is an island," and for this load crew it's counted as sound advice, and Rodriguez agrees. "We are a team. We enjoy the job, we all get along, and we communicate, because our safety is in each other's hands."