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U.S. Air Force

Munitions Squadrons

The weapons specialists who build, store, maintain, and deliver every bomb, missile, and bullet the Air Force shoots. From WWII bomb dumps to precision guided munitions, AMMO makes the boom.

Munitions
Explore Munitions Squadrons
AMMO / Weapons Load / PGM Heritage
If You Ain't AMMO, You Ain't... Est. 1941
MUNITIONS
IYAAYAS
Munitions Squadrons
AMMO / Weapons Load / PGMs
2W
Munitions AFSCs
AMMO
Munitions Systems
PGM
Precision Guided
IYAAYAS
IF YOU AIN'T AMMO
Munitions squadrons build, inspect, store, transport, and maintain every piece of air-delivered ordnance in the Air Force inventory. AMMO troops assemble bombs from components, build up missiles, manage explosive storage areas, and deliver weapons to the flightline for loading. Weapons loaders hang ordnance on aircraft. The unofficial AMMO motto, IYAAYAS (If You Ain't AMMO, You Ain't...), reflects the pride and swagger of a career field that handles live explosives daily. Read more
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Dumb Bombs to Smart Weapons 1941 - Present
WWII / VIETNAM
TONNAGE DELIVERED
WWII to Vietnam Munitions
The Age of Gravity Bombs
WWII
2.7M Tons Dropped
Mk 82
500 lb GP Bomb
Vietnam
6.7M Tons Dropped
Carpet
BOMBING ERA
In WWII, the Army Air Forces dropped 2.7 million tons of bombs on Europe and the Pacific. In Vietnam, the total exceeded 6.7 million tons. The era of unguided gravity bombs required massive tonnage to destroy a single target. Munitions squadrons built up thousands of Mk 82 500-pound and Mk 84 2,000-pound bombs daily. Bomb dumps on bases in Thailand and Guam ran around the clock feeding the B-52 Arc Light missions. Read more
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PGM
JDAM / SDB / PAVEWAY
Precision Guided Munitions
One Bomb, One Target
JDAM
GPS Guided Bomb
SDB
Small Diameter Bomb
Paveway
Laser Guided
1 Bomb
= 1 TARGET
Precision guided munitions changed warfare. What took 100 bombs in WWII now takes one. The JDAM kit converts a dumb bomb into a GPS-guided weapon for under $25,000. The Small Diameter Bomb lets a single fighter carry more targets per sortie. Paveway laser-guided bombs give JTACs on the ground the ability to put ordnance through a window. Munitions squadrons now build up complex precision weapons requiring careful assembly, testing, and programming before they go on the jet. Read more
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2W
Munitions AFSCs
JDAM
GPS Guided
PGM
Precision Guided
IYAAYAS
AMMO Pride