SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- The 4th Maintenance Group activated a new maintenance squadron Dec. 7 to help better balance the mission requirements of both operational and training units.
The 704th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron will house the 333rd and 334th Aircraft Maintenance Units, which previously fell under the 4th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.
“Previous to our activation, the 4th AMXS consisted of more than 1,000 Airmen working in four AMUs,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Apriceno, the new 704th AMXS commander. “They were responsible for the maintenance production of 94 F-15Es while balancing two distinct mission sets: operational and training.”
The 704th AMXS will oversee the training mission set, generating F-15Es to meet Formal Training Unit requirements, Apriceno said.
“FTU sorties are tied to very specific syllabus requirements, which drive overall effectiveness,” Apriceno said. “By continuing to build our operations-maintenance relationship, we will capitalize on the predictability of the syllabus phases to allocate manning expertise to systems we know will be required for effectiveness. This cross flow of education between ops and maintenance will ultimately improve the capabilities and effectiveness of both organizations as we work toward the common goal of providing the Air Force with highly-trained F-15E aircrew.”
The transition of the AMUs also allows for better quality leadership and for each squadron to better focus on their mission, added Col. Leah Fry, 4th Maintenance Group commander.
“The former 4th AMXS was enormous,” said Fry. “While many talented commanders have led it with distinction, it’s simply too big to allow commanders time to really get to the heart of caring for people. This split assigns approximately 400 people and 44 jets to the new 704th AMXS and provides a structure where commanders can get focused on their mission sets, care for their people and provide world-class aircraft for aircrew training and warfighting.”