Munitions Airmen build live bombs, prepare for exercise Published Jan. 31, 2014 By Airman 1st Class Dawn M. Weber 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England -- Airmen from the 48th Munitions Squadron are building live munitions to be used on F-15E Strike Eagles at an upcoming exercise. The 48th MUNS, also known as 'Ammo,' is putting in long hours building 48 GBU-12 Paveway II laser-guided bombs to support the mission of the 492nd Fighter Squadron. "This is unique for us as Ammo," said Senior Airman Joshua Arnold, 48th MUNS crew member. "Most of our time is spent building training munitions for the jets to train with." The live munitions will be placed on Strike Eagles and used in training exercises at Cape Wrath in Scotland in the upcoming month of February. These Airmen work with the world's most advanced munitions on a daily basis, along with the fighter jets that employ them. "The GBU-12 is a munition operated from the ground or the air that seeks a laser illuminating the target," said Staff Sgt. Derek White, 48th MUNS dedicated crew chief. "The target head seeks out a laser signal that is being reflected and guides itself to the target." Ammo is responsible for identifying, inspecting, maintaining, testing, and assembling guided and unguided, non-nuclear munitions. "Working in Ammo is like working with a product from IKEA," said Arnold. "We order and receive the parts, then we put the bomb or missile together accordingly." "Ammo is truly the keeper of the flame," said White. "Whether it's supplying bullets to the cops, explosives to special operations, or bombs and missiles to the aircraft; everything Ammo does somehow correlates to the destruction aspect of the warfighting effort.