Deployed Tinker Airman, Fayetteville native, helps keep E-3 Sentry aircraft flying

  • Published
  • By Capt. Cathleen Snow
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
When it comes to keeping the E-3 Sentry aircraft flying combat missions in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, Senior Airman Robert Kirby, an instrument and flight control systems journeyman, maintains the airborne warning and control system aircraft so it's fully mission capable every time.

The Fayetteville, Ga., native is deployed to a non-disclosed base in Southwest Asia from the 552nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. On the job he specializes in maintaining and fixing aircraft systems such as the altimeters, mach airspeed, engine instruments, fight director, autopilot and more.

When performing his duties, he spends a lot of time on the flightline working directly on the aircraft fleet, which he said has seen more than its share of deployments in its three decades since coming online.

"These planes have been through a lot, but as maintainers, we do our best so they are ready for every combat mission," Airman Kirby said.

Without his expertise, the three year Air Force veteran said the aircraft flight crews would be unable determine the aircraft's condition, nor could they navigate to their destination if these systems were in disrepair.

"Without maintenance Airmen to finely tune the plane, the flight crews are without a job," Airman Kirby said. "We stay busy so they stay busy."

As with any aircraft, navigation is vital, but to this aircraft, navigation is essential to responding quickly and effectively in support of ground troops who rely on its accuracy and capabilities, which are many and varied.

By maintaining the aircraft's directional capabilities, Airman Kirby keeps the aircraft's flight crew of up to 23 aircrew and mission specialists on track to manage and survey the battle space and detect and intercept enemy threats for the troops on the ground.

According to the Air Force fact sheet, the E-3 provides a real-time battle space picture and detects enemy air threats over land or water up to 250 miles in all directions, as well as a broad range of other detailed battlefield information. Not only do Joint Air Operations Centers get these pictures instantly as battles unfold, the ground troops in need can utilize them for making informed battlefield decisions in an instant.

Airman Kirby said he is happy to be deployed and helping out.

"Our skills as maintainers play an important role with the E-3 in helping the airframe keep American and coalition service members alive by giving them a battlefield advantage," Airman Kirby said. "Maintaining one of the 380th AEW's million-dollar reconnaissance assets day-to-day is something to be proud of."

In addition to the Sentry, the 380th AEW's inventory includes, the RQ-4 Global Hawk and U-2 Dragon Lady, which, like the Sentry, serve as the "eyes and ears" over a battlefield with increasingly difficult targets to identify in overseas contingency operations. Additionally, the wing's KC-10A Extenders provide fuel to allied aircraft giving them greater range and endurance for missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.

The 380th AEW is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia.