After more than eight years of planning and construction, Air Force Global Strike Command officials cut the ribbon on a new storage and weapons load training facility at Barksdale AFB, La., according to a base release. The Louisiana installation is home to the 2nd Bomb Wing, a nuclear-capable B-52 unit. The building, which opened on Sept. 19, will help streamline operations for the 2nd Maintenance Group by providing a covered area for airmen to store training munitions and the MHU-196 trailers they use to load munitions on B-52s during drills, states the Sept. 25 release. Prior to its opening, crews had to store the trailers on the flight line, and inclement weather could bring training operations to a standstill. “The facility will provide greater storage area, keep our items in better shape, and prevent us from losing any training time because our munitions will be serviceable,” said TSgt. Erin Bernik, a lead crew member with the group. Housing the MHU-196s in the facility will also save on their maintenance costs, states the release. Plus, the building will serve as a central meeting location for crews to train.
The Air Force wants more companies able to produce its new, multi-use, anti-radar missile that one expert says will prove vital in any future peer conflict and would be in high demand for the war in Iran if stocks were available now.