U.S., ROKAF, combine for airfield damage repair exercise

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacy Foster
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
JUNGWON AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  In the event an airfield is attacked and damaged, U.S. Air Force and Republic of Korea Air Force civil engineers are prepared to spring into action and repair the runway in just hours, allowing aircraft to launch and resume their mission.

That capability was put to the test July 29, as more than 30 51st Civil Engineer Squadron members, and 55 19th Fighter Wing Civil Engineer Squadron and 91st Air Civil Engineering Group members joined forces here during the 2010 Combined Airfield Damage Repair Exercise, hosted by 7th Air Force and Republic of Korea Air Force Operations Command.

Capt. Robert Rogers, 7th Air Force Plans and Operations, said the purpose of the exercise is to improve combined airfield damage repair operations, enhance interoperability, evaluate capabilities and strengthen the USAF/ROKAF relationship.

"It's an opportunity for us to see how they do things, and vice versa," Captain Rogers said. "We learn a lot from watching each other do things."

As they gathered together at the practice airfield under the morning sun, Airmen and their South Korean counterparts looked over the "damage" of the runway--two enormous craters measuring 55 feet in diameter.

The runway became a swarm of activity as work began to fill the first crater. The 19th FW CES and 91st ACEG member's role during the first half of the day would be to clear out and fill the crater, while the 51st CES would cover the crater with a fiberglass mat, used to provide surface integrity for the aircraft that would need to roll over it in a "real-world" situation.

Equipment was on full display as a water pump was to pump water from the crater. Then, dump trucks, criss-crossing the tarmac, began unloading tons of rocks into the crater, until it was full. The rocks were smoothed over with a steamroller and the excess debris was swept away by a team of ROKAF personnel.

The repair work was tested by performing a compaction test, which measures the density of soil and ensures the repaired runway section can handle the impact of aircraft landing or rolling over it.

Once the test was completed, 51st CES Airmen positioned the fiberglass mat over the filled crater, bolted the mat to the runway, and work was completed on the first crater in just less than two hours.

After lunch, the two groups would switch roles, which allowed evaluators to observe similarities and differences in both equipment and techniques used.

"It's important that we learn to accomplish this task together, to augment and act as a redundancy to each other's capabilities," said Captain Rogers. "This can only happen if we ensure our procedures and the standards to which we repair are similar, and if interoperability is guaranteed with our vehicles and equipment."

After switching roles, the work was completed again in less than two hours, providing evaluators and squadron leadership all the proof they would need to label the exercise a success.

"Engineers take care of a lot of missions that most people don't realize," said Lt. Col. Scott Matthews, 51st CES commander. "Airfield damage repair is one of the cornerstones of what we do. Without it, jets don't fly."