KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- The 403rd Wing is activating a new maintenance unit in a ceremony at the Roberts Maintenance Facility at 10 a.m. Sept. 11.
Maj. Brian Horton will assume command of the 803rd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. Horton’s previous assignment was as the maintenance operations officer for the 908th Maintenance Group, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
The 803rd AMXS will be responsible for the inspection, repair, launch and recovery of the wing’s 10 C-130Js flown by the 815th Airlift Squadron, a tactical airlift unit that transports supplies, equipment and personnel in a theater of operation, said Horton.
The new maintenance squadron will employ 145 reservists, 55 of which will be full-time Air Reserve Technicians. The unit is recruiting for several maintenance positions to include crew chiefs, guidance and control, electricians, and engine and hydraulic specialists.
In 2015 the Air Force announced that the 10 C-130Js would remain at Keesler, instead of moving to a different base as was previously planned. Once the decision was made, it was determined another maintenance squadron was needed to enable the maintenance group to support both flying missions simultaneously.
The 403rd Wing is the only unit in the Air Force Reserve Command that owns and operates C-130J Super Hercules aircraft. The unit received the first C-130J Super Hercules aircraft in the Air Force inventory in 1999 and the wing flies and maintains 20 of those aircraft. Ten are flown by the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron’s Hurricane Hunters and the other 10 are flown by the 815th AS.
Media members interested in covering this event, must call 403rd Wing Public Affairs at 228-377-2056 by 3 p.m. Sept. 9.
For more information about the 403rd Wing visit the wing’s website, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.