During the event, crews from the 90th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 525th Aircraft Maintenance Unit went head-to-head, demonstrating the precision required to arm an F-22.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Weapons-load crews at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson put their skills to the test earlier this month during the first quarter 2026 Mission Generation Competition at JBER .
“The Mission Generation Competition is designed as a display of our crews’ abilities to generate combat-capable aircraft for the Third Wing,” said Chief Master Sgt. Thad Burton, with the U.S. Air Force. “That is done through inspections of the aircraft, preparations, as well as loading munitions onto the aircraft.”
During the April 3 event, crews from the 90th Aircraft Maintenance Unit and the 525th Aircraft Maintenance Unit went head-to-head, demonstrating the precision required to arm an F-22. The competition shows the crews’ ability to act under pressure as they check the aircraft and load it with munitions.
“When you look at a weapons-load crew, they are a three-member team, and each member has certain responsibilities as they load the munitions,” said Maj. Christopher Hickman, commander of the Third Aircraft Maintenance Squadron with the U.S. Air Force. “So you have got one that oversees the entirety of everything, and then two, which are junior, that do a lot of the dynamic tasks.”
Each crew loaded two AIM-120s and one AIM-9X onto the aircraft. The AIM-120 is a medium-range air-to-air missile weighing approximately 350 pounds. The AIM-9X is a short-range heat-seeking missile weighing approximately 200 pounds.
“It takes a lot of dance, a little coordination,” Burton said. “So what you’ll see is each weapons-load crew kind of has their own flow.” The work requires extreme precision, according to JBER. The base noted crews must align munitions with millimeter tolerance underneath the aircraft.
“There’s a lot of connection points that are critical to the stability of the munition within the aircraft itself,” Hickman said. “So what they are doing is they are aligning the munition directly underneath so that it will perfectly attach to the aircraft.”
The work, the U.S. Air Force said, is mission-critical. If crews don’t execute properly, the U.S. Air Force said, pilots cannot complete their missions. “If they don’t execute their portion of the load appropriately, what ends up happening is the pilot is unable to execute their mission by releasing that munition,” Hickman said. “So if they don’t do everything that they need to do correctly, you will have a total mission failure.”
Post Malone spotting in Fairbanks has Alaska buzzing
Alaska's Political Pipeline: A conversation with Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk
Alaska’s only LGBTQ+ nonprofit health clinic to close, citing Medicaid delays and political climate
WHAT IS THE Mission Generation Competition WHO COMPETED IN THE Mission Generation Competition WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE Mission Generation Comp Aircraft Maintenance Unit Aircraft Maintenance Unit WHAT ARE THEY WHAT ARE WHAT Aircraft Maintenance Unit WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF Aircraft Maintenance Unit WHAT IMPACT DO Aircraft Maintenance Unit HAVE DURI COMBAT READINESS JBER JBER JBER ARCTIC SECURITY ALASKA MILITARY US AIR FORCE US AIR FORCE JBER
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Shifting Gears: Sierra Vista Police Department reinstates bike patrol unitAlexis Ramanjulu is KGUN 9's Cochise County reporter. Send your story ideas to Alexis at alexis.ramanjulukgun9.com.
Read more »
Flyer Films Plane Before Boarding—Not Ready For ‘Ominous Problem’Passenger video captures unusual cockpit repair, raising questions about critical aircraft sensors and routine safety decisions.
Read more »
This AI-powered robotic cleaner is ushering in a new era of pool maintenanceMade from an automotive-grade coating to protect it from wear and tear and environmental factors, the AquaSense X is built to last — maybe even longer than your actual pool.
Read more »
Maintenance tips for firing up the grill after a long winterIf you haven't fired up your grill since last summer, now's the time to give it some attention.
Read more »
US aircraft carrier breaks post-Vietnam War deployment recordThe world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, has broken the U.S. record for the longest deployment since the Vietnam War. The nearly 10-month span saw it take part in both the military raid in Venezuela and the Iran war.
Read more »
US aircraft carrier breaks record for longest deployment since the Vietnam WarThe world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R.
Read more »