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Osan wins biannual weapons competition

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Brok McCarthy
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Osan weapon loaders beat out Kunsan's team in a biannual weapons loading competition between the 51st and 8th Fighter Wings. Even though Osan won this competition, Kunsan is still ahead overall, having won three competitions to Osan's two. 

"It was a very close competition," said Chief Master Sgt. Bob Cooper, 51st Fighter Wing weapons manager. "Both teams did an outstanding job and the competition could have gone either way right up until the end." 

The two, three-man teams from Kunsan's F-16 squadron, the 35th Fighter Squadron, and Osan's A-10 squadron, the 25th FS, competed to load three missiles, two AGM-65s and one AIM-9, onto the jets as quickly and as accurately as possible. 

Chief Cooper said both planes load very similarly, so neither team had any real advantages or disadvantages. 

The competition evaluated crews in several areas, including the proficiency of the load and how safely the crews load the munitions on the jet. 

Evaluation was done by three standardization crew chiefs from each squadron. 

"Our job is to make sure everything is done in a safe, reliable manner," said Tech. Sgt. Nathan Best, 51st AMXS A-10 load standardization crew chief. "Neither one of the teams had many problems in those areas, leaving only 100 points difference between them." 

The scoring system is based on 1,000 points. Deductions are made based on errors made during the loading; for instance, a safety mistake is 100 points and a technical mistake is 50 points. 

"Some people think the teams we have competing are like an all-star team from the squadron, which isn't true," said Chief Master Sgt. Bob Rohn, 8th Fighter Wing weapons manager. "They are the same three people who work together on a daily basis and are selected based on past performances." 

Osan's team consisted of Staff Sgt. Edwin Bridges, and Airmen Xavier Crox and Terrance Davis, 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. 

"Facing Kunsan was a lot tougher than the quarterly competitions we have in our squadron," said Airman Crox. "There was a lot more pressure on us to perform. Kunsan's team moved faster than most of our teams during the quarterly competition, and that only added to the pressure." 

Kunsan's team consisted of Staff Sgt. Jason Sinkar, and Senior Airmen Alfred Agee and Christina Chavarria, 8th AMXS. 

"I am glad I got the opportunity to come to Osan to load. It really helps everyone involved take pride in their jobs," said Staff Sgt. Sinkar, Kunsan crew chief. "The challenge is making sure everything is done efficiently and timely with everyone around you screaming and cheering people on. It's especially hard being the visiting team since most of the people are there to support the other team." 

Chief Cooper said the competitions are important because it is a chance to highlight the wartime skills of the weapons loaders and give the crews a chance to practice under pressure. 

"This isn't a glamorous job on a day-to-day basis, but when it comes to war, these guys are the stars; they are the ones that make it possible for the Air Force to do damage during operations," he said. 

During the last competition, which was held at Kunsan, the 8th AMXS beat out Osan's F-16 loaders from the 36th FS.