An F-16C Fighting Falcon from the Colorado Air National Guard’s 140th Fighter Wing performs a low pass of the show site prior to landing for the Great Colorado Air Show, Oct. 15, 2021, Loveland, Colo. The 140th Wing is comprised of over 1,600 personnel who support multiple operational missions and is headquartered at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colo.
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BUCKLEY SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians trained together on F-16 multirole fighters on Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado.
Army EOD technicians from the 764th Ordnance Company (EOD) honed their skills together on the high-performance aircraft with Air Force EOD techs from the 140th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight unit.
A highly maneuverable multirole aircraft, the F-16 Fighting Falcons can conduct both air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack missions.
U.S. Army Capt. Cameron P. Clark, the commander of the 764th EOD Company, said eight Army EOD technicians participated in the training.
“The Army EOD technicians trained on locations of specific hazards for the F-16, render-safe and pinning procedures for different weapon systems and explosive hazard download procedures,” said Clark. “Many of the scenarios involved weapons malfunction and ‘failure to release’ scenarios.”
Clark added that most Army EOD technicians don’t get to train on fighter aircraft often after graduating from the Naval EOD School on Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
U.S Air Force Tech. Sgt. William Orton, Crew Chief, 140th Maintenance Group, Colorado Air National Guard, receives an F-16C following an arrival of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Daniel “Tracer” Way, Pilot, 120th Fighter Squadron, 140th Wing, Colorado Air National Guard for Checkered Flag 2023 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida October 25, 2023. Checkered Flag is a large-force aerial exercise held at Tyndall which fosters readiness and interoperability through the incorporation of 4th and 5th-generation aircraft during air-to-air combat training.
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“Army EOD techs rarely train on any aircraft as we are not usually co-located with an Air Force Base,” said Clark. “The two services do not often get to train together due to location. From my experience, the frequency of training together is about once every two years.”
Clark said joint service Explosive Ordnance Disposal training helps to build interoperability between the units.
“The joint training provides excellent hands-on training to re-energize lessons involving specific aircraft explosive hazards, such as chaffs, ejection seats and bomb racks,” said Clark. “Training with sister-service personnel allows EOD technicians to engage, compare techniques and provide experiences with others who have the same skill set.”
A native of Cincinnati and graduate of the University of Cincinnati, Clark previously served as an enlisted Army EOD technician before commissioning through Officer Candidate School.
During his 16 years in the Army, Clark has deployed four times and served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.
The Fort Carson, Colorado-based 764th EOD company is part of the 242nd EOD Battalion, 71st EOD Group and 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives (CBRNE) Command, the U.S. military’s premier CBRNE formation.
U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians trained together on F-16 multirole fighters on Buckley Space Force Base, Colorado. Army EOD technicians from the 764th Ordnance Company (EOD) honed their skills together on the high-performance aircraft with Air Force EOD techs from the 140th Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight unit.
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American Soldiers and U.S. Army civilians from 20th CBRNE Command deploy from 19 bases in 16 states to take on the world’s most dangerous hazards in support of joint, interagency and multinational operations.
Headquartered on Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, the 20th CBRNE Command is home to 75 percent of the active-duty U.S. Army’s CBRN specialists and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians, as well as the 1st Area Medical Laboratory, CBRNE Analytical and Remediation Activity, five Weapons of Mass Destruction Coordination Teams and three Nuclear Disablement Teams (Infrastructure).
As the U.S. Army’s explosive experts, EOD technicians take on everything from hand grenades to nuclear weapons.
From outside the wire and inside the cordon, Army EOD techs save lives and enable operations both at home and abroad.
Since 2006, the 764th EOD Company has deployed multiple times and served in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Army EOD technicians from the company returned from a deployment in support of Command Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve in November 2023.
Like the other Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal companies stationed on Fort Carson, the 764th EOD Company also covers explosive hazard response missions on base and off base across Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.
“Our focus is to build a cohesive team of experts, realistically trained through scenarios that any technician could encounter one day,” Clark said.
U.S. Army
The United States Army is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.
This article, Soldiers, Airmen Train on F-16 Multirole Fighter, was originally published by The Army .