Osan hosts CAPEX 10

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Eric Burks
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The 51st Fighter Wing is hosting Combat Ammunition Production Exercise 10 through May 28.

CAPEX is an annual mass munitions production exercise conducted by Headquarters Pacific Air Forces and 13th Air Force logistics staff, and evaluated by munitions personnel from across the service.

The non-rated exercise, which began May 24, provides training in non-nuclear war reserve munitions production and assembly to support rigorous integrated tasking orders. For 72 hours, 51st Munitions Squadron Airmen established continuous live munitions production at projected wartime consumption rates, breaking components out of storage to assemble a wide array of bombs, missiles and ammunition.

The exercise scenario is structured to provide 24-hour operations with a flying schedule/munitions production requirement based on actual war plans, said Master Sgt. James Cain, 51st MUNS munitions accountable systems officer. Based on operational plans, 51st MUNS and integrated deployed personnel from several PACAF installations assemble and deliver munitions ranging from guided, cluster and general-purpose bombs to rockets, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

"The overall goal of this exercise is to evaluate Osan's capability to generate munitions to support its wartime mission," said Col. Stephen Williams, CAPEX 10 evaluation team lead, Headquarters Air Force.

When bases go through Operational Readiness Inspections and Exercises, there's a lot of artificiality involved when it comes to munitions, he said. "They don't get to break out and build up live munitions, and there are a lot of simulations like 'half-up, half-down' where you build up 12 bombs on the pad, then tear them back down, and it counts as 24."

One way such simulations are reduced at CAPEX is through the integration of "re-pack" and "in-check" operations, said Colonel Williams.

After munitions are built up at maintenance pads, they're delivered to "in-check" evaluators, who check the assembly of munitions for technical accuracy. Next, it's on to "re-pack," a dedicated crew that breaks everything back down and places the components into storage configuration. The evaluation team is composed of experienced senior NCOs from across the Air Force, while roughly 50 PACAF Airmen support re-pack operations. Bringing in these teams allows munitions squadron Airmen to focus on the task at hand - assembly and delivery of munitions to meet the mission.

"These exercises are one-of-a-kind ... you never work as hard as you do during CAPEX," said Senior Airman Tyler Reiter, 51st MUNS, working on the fin team for "big bombs" this week. "It definitely puts you through a lot of stress, but it's worth it in the end."

His team's role on the bomb pad is to check the fins, torque them on to munitions and ensure fuse settings are correct. The finished product is then loaded on a trailer and it's on to the next one.

Depending on the size and type of munitions, Airman Reiter said it can take between five and 20 minutes from start to finish per bomb. At each step of the way, the team stringently adheres to technical orders, such as 11A-1-63 - Munitions Assembly Procedures, Inspection and Assembly of Non-nuclear Munitions.

"We follow the dash 63, which is the 'bomb bible', every step of the way," he said.

Colonel Williams said the exercise is one of the most unique and dynamic in the Air Force - scenarios are based on executing each wing's distinct primary capabilities.

The exercise was last conducted here in 2006, and CAPEX 10 is Osan's fifth overall - each year, a different PACAF wing serves as host.

In featuring a different host wing each year, CAPEX allows for everyone to have a turn exercising the munitions mission, said Colonel Williams. The first CAPEX took place in 1987, and PACAF remains the only major command to conduct an annual ammunition production exercise.

"A lot of MAJCOMs would like to do something like this," said the colonel, "but PACAF puts the resources behind it to ensure it remains a command priority."