WSINT: Behind the Boom

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Tabatha McCarthy
  • 57th Wing Public Affairs

The 57 Munitions Squadron (MUNS) is the boom behind Weapons School Integration (WSINT).

The beginning process of munitions begin with the respected MUNS shop within the storage area.

Once everyone is accounted for and at their assigned positions, ear protection and gloves are immediately worn. One Airman sits down at a panel and awaits for further instruction.

As soon as the Airmen received the thumbs-up, they push a button that starts the belt that clangs as it begins separating 30mm ammunition from their plastic containers.

“There are 14 separate aircraft maintenance units (AMUs) and nine mission designed series who participate in WSINT,” said Master Sgt. Christopher Byron, 57th MUNS Line Delivery section chief. “As a whole, MUNS provides about 100,000 separate munitions a week to all the different players.”

The process to deliver all necessary munitions to the respected AMUs begins with the different shops who deal with the different size and type of ammunition.

“Our shop is Small Bombs and we work with a variety of small munitions such as 20mm rounds, 30mm rounds, flares, small arms ammunition, smoke grenades, BDUs, and rockets,” said Airman 1st Class Aisha Bailey, 57th MUNS small bombs crew chief. “Today we worked on 30mm rounds for the A-10’s [Thunderbolt]. We process the munitions so they can be transferred to the flight line through another shop.”

Small bombs is one of 11 different shops within MUNS that handle specific munitions.

“Precision Guidance Munitions (PGM) shop maintains, inspects and upkeeps all live and inert missiles before being delivered to Line Delivery who then delivers to the flight line,” said Airman 1st Class Zachery Staack, 57th MUNS PGM crew chief.

Regardless of the shop, each section then sends their armaments to Line Delivery before it makes its way to WSINT players and their respected AMUs.

“We have a unique mission here at Line Delivery,” said Byron. “We not only deliver all munitions from other shops to the line, but we also process chaff and flare.”

Chaff allows pilots, to include the playing adversaries, to counteract other incoming missiles and radar interception, flares create a heat source for those incoming missiles to target instead of hitting the aircraft.

With the help of MUNS, WSINT will have all resources necessary to be successful.

“Our guys work hard and are the busiest in the Air Force due to being the largest maintenance group,” said Byron. “We provide the tools to enable real time and real experiences for each aircraft to hone their skills as fighter pilots and weapons officers.”

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