SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. - - Picture an F-16 Flying Falcon fighter jet…without any working brakes. The jet booms down the runway, and its rear tailhook reaches to catch a steel cable with a sudden snap. Within moments, thousands of pounds of force grinds to a halt thanks to a life-saving system beneath the runway.
All U.S. Air Force bases and military airfields operating tactical fighter aircraft utilize aircraft arresting systems, also known as cable barriers, to prevent aircraft from overrunning runways.
The full responsibility for maintaining and replacing the arresting systems at Shaw belong to the electrical power production specialists assigned to the 20th Civil Engineer Squadron (20th CES). Leading the team is Staff Sgt. Callum Jantzi, 20th Civil Engineer Squadron non-commissioned officer in-charge (NCOIC) of aircraft arresting systems.
“We’re primarily responsible for the backup power systems at the base, but a secondary part of our job is the aircraft arresting systems,” Jantzi said. “Here at Shaw, we have the F-16 which needs the arresting systems.”
Keeping these lifesaving systems up and running is vital to flightline operations and the safety of base personnel. The team is working on the initiative now to maintain the system’s integrity; arresting systems are required to be updated every ten years.
Installations like Shaw have many systems and checks in place to maintain safety while projecting airpower across the globe. The aircraft arresting system is indispensable to any and all flightline operations, according to Jantzi.
“If these barrier systems are not operational, we don't fly,” he said. "This is lifesaving equipment for the pilots.”
The project of replacing the systems is significant to more than just the pilots. Jantzi explains how this impactful opportunity helps the junior airmen from the power production shop understand their role in the Air Force’s bigger mission: to project combat air power and continue to be the most lethal force across the globe.
“I think this is huge for our shop, for the younger guys and for the NCOs,” said Jantzi. “A lot of our job is just basic maintenance, you know, changing oil on backup power systems, performing monthly checks for the generators. For the barriers, we come out, we do daily inspections, weekly inspections, monthly inspections. So, sometimes you can just get in the headspace of like, ‘Oh, I'm just doing the same thing over and over again.’"
"But it’s days like today, where we're all out here sweating together, working together, and we're pulling the entire system out to replace it," continued Jantzi. "It kind of just makes you take a step back and think, ‘we do impact the mission’. This is lifesaving equipment. You know, if it weren't for our efforts today, we might not be flying tomorrow.”
Most days, the aircraft arresting system sits beneath the runway, unseen and unnoticed. But when an F-16 experiences complications and needs a final line of defense, the system must be ready to respond in seconds.
That kind of readiness begins long before the cable snaps against a tailhook. It begins with inspections, maintenance, and hard work. Electrical power production specialists ensure that when thousands of pounds of force needs to be stopped at a moment's notice, the system designed to save a life is ready to go.
Because of the 20th CES's electrical power production specialists, Shaw’s flightline remains operational, pilots land safe, and the base's mission keeps moving.