Keeping fighters fit to fight

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Darrius Gibbs, 4th Component Maintenance Squadron avionics technician, fixes an F-15E Strike Eagle navigation pod at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 17, 2013. Navigation pods help pilots see targets in terrains with low visibility and adverse weather conditions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho)

Keeping fighters fit to fight

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman John-David Pinkston, 4th Component Maintenance Squadron avionics technician, applies fluorosilicone sealant to a main structure gasket at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 17, 2013. The sealant is designed to bond the main structure gasket to the body of a navigation pod, which helps aircrew during flying operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho)

Keeping fighters fit to fight

U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Nicholas Dudeck, 4th Component Maintenance Squadron avionics flight support member, conducts a composite tool kit inspection at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., Oct. 17, 2013. During the inspection, Dudeck checked the tools for accountability and serviceability. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho)

Keeping fighters fit to fight

Published Oct. 22, 2013
By Airman 1st Class John Nieves Camacho
4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs

SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Although they aren't on the flight line performing routine procedures on the F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft here, Airmen from the 4th Component Maintenance Squadron sensor section have a key role in keeping the mission going.

The avionics technicians in the sensor shop play a role not just to the 4th Fighter Wing mission, but for bases with fighter jets around the world. They ensure aircraft are ready to go wherever, whenever, to deliver air superiority, by keeping integral parts of the aircraft serviceable.

"The navigation pod enhances the aircrew's ability to fly safely at night and in inclement weather, while the targeting pod uses a laser tracking system to obtain targets," said Airman 1st Class Shelby May, 4th CMS avionics technician.

The sensor section, also called low altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night, or LANTIRN, is responsible for servicing and repairing the Strike Eagle's navigation and targeting pods. LANTIRN is a combined navigation and targeting pod system that attaches to applicable F-15 and F-16 Fighting Falcon models. The LANTIRN system significantly improves the overall combat effectiveness of the aircraft by allowing aircrew to see targets in terrains with low visibility and adverse weather conditions.

"Since we support any base that has an aircraft that uses the LANTIRN system, the workload can get pretty large at times," May added. "We have Airmen working around the clock to make sure these pods are getting back out to the aircraft to be utilized."

Once received, broken pods are subjected to a series of tests called a built in test, or BIT. The BIT troubleshoots the pod to pinpoint each area of deficiency.

"A lot of times the discrepancies are specified, so we always have to run a thorough BIT to see what the fails actually are and we are fixing anything that may have not been recorded," said Tech Sgt. William Reed, 4th CMS sensor section production supervisor. "Initial troubleshooting, pinpointing the source of malfunction, getting the parts to fix it, fixing it and ensuring that it's serviceable can take anywhere from 24 to 72 hours."

The shop pushes through 13 pods a month on average. Pods will come in from installations such as, but not limited to, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Shaw AFB, Tuscon AFB, Lackland AFB and Lakenheath AFB. The workload is shared with a partner LANTIRN shop based at Hill AFB. Occasionally pods from other stateside bases will be transferred here, when Hill AFB cannot support, and vice-versa.

"The Airmen here at the 4th CMS sensor section are the hardest working Airmen I've ever seen," said Reed. "They don't complain about extra hours or weekend duties, and they take a lot of pride in getting the job done right. I can honestly say in my 15 years they far exceed any base I've ever seen as far as dedication to the job."