Chapter 13 Weapons Assembly

CHAPTER 13 WEAPONS ASSEMBLY Weapons assembly must be done with care and safety; the procedures in this chapter are typical assembly requirements. These procedures do not include authorization for flight or tactical doctrine. WEAPONS ASSEMBLY PROCEDURES LEARNING OBJECTIVE: Identify the purpose of conventional weapons assembly to include a description of general-purpose bombs and support equipment configurations. Identify common procedures to follow when assembling conventional weapons. Recognize the bomb assembly area arrangement. In the following paragraphs, you will read about the assembly procedures for some of the most commonly used weapons. This TRAMAN doesn't include assembly procedures for every available weapon in the Navy. However, the following procedures give you basic information about assembly procedures. Remember, regardless of how well trained an assembly crew may be, there must always be a crew leader and a quality assurance/safety observer (QA/SO). The crew leader is required to use a weapons assembly checklist or manual during all phases of the weapon assembly process. The QA/SO inspects each completed round to ensure it is correctly assembled and installed on the handling equipment. AIRCRAFT GENERAL-PURPOSE BOMBS Aircraft general-purpose bombs are assembled in a variety of configurations. Mission requirements dictate the way a weapon is to be configured. This information is found in the ordnance load plan. A few of these configurations are discussed in the following paragraphs. Bomb Assembly Tools and Equipment Requirements Tools and equipment listed in table 13-1 are required for weapons assembly evolutions. The list is provided to assist personnel in proper assembly procedures. Bomb Assembly Crew Bomb assembly is usually done on the fourth or fifth deck of an aircraft carrier or flight deck or hangar deck on LFORM class ships. They can also be built on the second deck (mess deck) or other designated areas of aircraft carriers. The references to positions used with the bomb assembly crew as used here are for ease of understanding only. Many personnel operate the bomb assembly stand (fig. 13-1) and support the assembly evolution. The crew positions are: · Supervisor · QA/SO · Hoist operators · Nose fuze/TDD installer · Tail fuze installer · Tail fin installer · Skid and hoist operator · Forklift operator · Dunnage personnel · Elevator operators 13-1