Osan prepares F-16s for Beverly Midnight 16-01

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Sutton
  • 51st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
OSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  With hours before the start of combat readiness exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01, maintainers from the 36th Aircraft Maintenance Unit conduct final preparations and ensure the aircraft are prepared and ready … to Fight Tonight.

These Airmen ensure F-16 Fighting Falcons are prepared and ready for the grueling pace they will be required to sustain throughout readiness exercise Beverly Midnight 16-01.

The exercise focuses on readiness, testing Osan’s wartime procedures, and realistically looking at the ability to defend the base, execute operations and sustain follow-on forces.

“We are out here to ensure these jets are ready to execute both day and night missions on a continuous basis during the exercise,” said Staff Sgt. Nathan Lewis, 36th AMU dedicated crew chief. “There is quite a lot of equipment that must be taken care of and stored in specific places to make sure we are able to get aircraft in the air at a moment’s notice.”

During these combat exercise scenarios, Airmen train to launch and recover aircraft in simulated chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear environments.

“It’s very important to check our [mission oriented protective posture] gear for any damage that may have happened during the last exercise,” said Lewis. “We make sure our simulated M9 chemical detector paper is still visible and not torn or frayed. We also prepare new people who haven’t exercised before about what to expect here.”

Logistics can be a daunting task, especially during simulated attacks, but one 36th AMU Airman explained it’s all part of mission readiness on the Korean Peninsula.

“Once the exercise begins, things are very intense, so getting our gear and reporting to our designated teams is extremely important,” said Senior Airman Jacob Noble, 51st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief. “We practice and train as close to real-world standards as we can. We all are aware of the threats and take our readiness and responsibility to protect the alliance seriously.”