Aircraft parts store supplies components to put jets in air

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Michael Battles
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  The 51st Logistics Readiness Squadron Aircraft Parts Store is not widely known throughout Osan, but they provide key items for the base's flying mission.

With millions of dollars worth of spare parts and thousands of pieces to account for, the parts store provides components critical to the fight.

"We provide the maintainers the parts that they need so the mission can be a success," said Senior Airman Ryan Mannhalter, 51st LRS materiel management journeyman.

The store provides all replacement parts and material to fix broken, damaged or worn aircraft -- to include kits needed during squadron deployments, exercises and temporary duty assignments.

In total, the shop manages more than $55 million in replacement aircraft assets for the F-16 Fighting Falcon, A-10 Thunderbolt II and the U-2 Dragonlady aircraft at Osan.

The cheapest item managed at the store costs two cents and the most expensive item can add up to $2 million, Mannhalter said.

Regardless of price, the most important part of the job is ensuring broken jets get back into the air, said Airman 1st Class Mark Tobar, parts store technician.

"I believe that without our kits and without the aircraft parts store, broken jets wouldn't be repaired," Tobar said.

Each package or kit can have as little as 75 items or as many as 11,000 items, Mannhalter said. Kits can include something as small as a screw washer all the way to multi-million dollar engine parts, which can pose a tracking challenge.

However, even for the high dollar amount and extensive supply, these 51st LRS Airmen find a way to make it happen.

The parts store, which has three supply warehouses at Osan, recently completed a Logistics Compliance Assessment Program. The assessment was held in conjunction with the 51st Fighter Wing's Consolidated Unit Inspection, and the shop received the highest grade of all bases in the Republic of Korea, according to Chief Master Sgt. William Harrington, 51st LRS material management flight chief.