Concrete Pad for Sunshade at Al Udeid

Airmen with the 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE squadron began work on a new concrete pad at al Udeid AB, Qatar, that will allow maintainers of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing to work on aircraft under the cover of shade and on top of a surface more durable than asphalt. “Whenever an aircraft sits on asphalt for a long time, it leaks jet fuel that creates potholes and other imperfections, so we wanted to replace the pavement with concrete that will last a much longer time,” said SSgt. Nathaniel Curtis, 557th Expeditionary RED HORSE Squadron crew leader, in a June 27 base release. The new 40-foot by 160-foot pad is slated for completion in August; it will be an extension of an existing concrete pad, states the release. It will be able to support the weight of aircraft such as KC-135s, which frequent the base, a hub of US air activity in the Middle East. (Al Udeid report by SSgt. Ciara Wymbs)