News

560th AMXS keeps legacy aircraft in the fight

  • Published
  • By Joseph Mather
  • Robins Public Affairs

In October of 1958, Air Mobility Command transferred the management responsibility of the C-130 “Hercules” aircraft to Warner Robins Air Materiel Area.

Fast forward 62 years, and the Air Force Materiel Command’s Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, continues the legacy of maintaining the aircraft.

“What we do has a global impact, and each day we are contributing to the C-130 aircraft mission,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Simmons, 402nd Aircraft Maintenance Group deputy commander. “We directly support the combatant commanders by adding service life to weapons systems through quality depot‐level maintenance to aircraft supporting the warfighter.”

One of the squadrons responsible for this mission is the 560th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron.

 “This squadron is committed to sending high-quality mission-capable C-130s back to the owning units so they can successfully execute the war-fighting mission, said Travis Gulley Sr., 560th AMXS C-130 Weapon System Support Center Flight chief.

The 560th AMXS consists of six flights.

The Production Support Flight helps people with in-processing, out-processing, staffing, payroll, tracking productivity metrics, facilities management, and vehicle management,” said Gulley. “While the Logistics Requirement Determination Process Flight has planners who make sure everyone understands what work must be completed, they also develop the plan and network for everyone to follow.”

Three of the flights are directly responsible for the C-130 aircraft maintenance, said Gulley. These are the production flights.

“The production flight chiefs, team leads, and work leaders assigned to the three flights make sure the more than 500 mechanics assigned to the squadron, work on the C-130 aircraft correctly and safely,” he said.

Last but not least, the Weapon System Support Center Flight keeps the squadron’s mission operating with parts and tools needed to keep the program depot maintenance processes moving along.

“Production controllers make sure the scheduled maintenance tasks are ready to be worked and they communicate what needs to be done every day to everyone on each shift to keep the aircraft on schedule,” said Gulley. “The production support technicians are the parts experts who order an average of 1,000 aircraft parts per month. They also issue, receive, store, and turn in numerous parts.”

The WSSC Flight also manages five Production Support Centers located inside the maintenance hangars.

“In those centers, tool and parts attendants receive, issue, and store thousands of pieces of indirect material, equipment, and tools required to support this 700-plus person aircraft maintenance squadron,” he said.

Some variants of the C-130 can airdrop loads up to 44,000 pounds and nearly all can deliver cargo on rough, unpaved dirt strips, which is important when delivering supplies during combat and humanitarian operations.

“What we do in the 560th AMXS has a worldwide impact, especially down range in the deployed environment,” he said. “These aircraft are the lifeline through which everything travels down range, including supplies, equipment and military personnel, so they can fly, fight, and win.”