Tech. Sgt. Erick Chrostowski said that there is more to it than people thinking to open a box and has a bomb inside that will eventually be loaded in an aircraft. There are steps to follow first such as identifying, obtaining and storing the assets essential to construct the variations of bombs needed to support different mission requirements. When a particular bomb is requested, the assets are transferred from storage to the munitions assembly conveyer pad, where individual pieces collectively become a bomb. The basic elements of the guided bomb unit-38s are the mark-82 500-pound bomb body, commonly known as the warhead, the fuzes, fins and front ends.

Senior Airman Collin Dillingham explained that there are different types of front ends for (various) bombs: there are bombs that penetrate the ground before blowing up, there are bombs that hit the ground and blow up and there are bombs that blow up above the ground. Just as there are different front ends for different objectives, there are different fins with different purposes.

The Airmen putting up together a GBU-38s are given a safety briefing before dividing into teams. The final statement gets the Airmen’s attention as intended. They go to work, swiftly, yet vigilantly building the bombs.

The first team loads the body onto a trolley system where assembly begins. One team places the front end on while another installs the fuzes. Once this phase is complete, the bomb slides down the rail system to the team building and installing the fins and guidance control system. The last stage before loading the bombs on a trailer to deliver to the flightline is a complete inspection performed by Sergeant Chrostowski.

There is job satisfaction when we watch weapon systems video and see our bombs do what they were supposed to, whether it is assisting troops-in-combat or hitting a high-value target,” Sergeant Chrostowski said.

The munitions built by the 455th EMXS Airmen include 20 mm and 30 mm cannon ammunition, anti-threat countermeasures, laser-guided bombs, and joint direct attack munitions, which are global positioning systme-aided weapons.

The munitions will be employed by F-15E Strike Eagles and A-10 Thunderbolt IIs.