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'The Gun,' 'The Boom' highlight Michigan aircraft, Airmen

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Dan Heaton
  • 127th Wing Public Affairs
SELFRIDGE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Mich. --  

The Boom and The Gun are two completely different systems, representing different aspects of the Air Force's capabilities. The Boom - the fuel delivery system on a KC-135 Stratotanker - represents the Global Reach of the U.S. Air Force. The Gun - the GAU-8 Avenger 30mm Gatling-style weapon on an A-10 Thunderbolt II - is a direct representation of Air Power.

"The Boom" and "The Gun" are also the titles of two mini-documentaries recently released by the 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard.

Taken together, the two videos also help represent the complex mission set of the 127th Wing, which flies both types of aircraft. The 127th Wing is one of only a small handful of Wings around the Air Force that are "composite" Wings, flying two different types of aircraft.

To accomplish such a diverse set of missions, the 127th Wing relies on a mix of active-duty members of the Air National Guard, military technicians, a small group of civilian employees and contract employees and roughly 1,000 "traditional" members of the Air National Guard - those Citizen-Airmen who generally serve about one weekend a month and two weeks a year of annual training time. About 1,700 people are assigned to the 127th Wing in total.

Both about five minutes long, the two videos highlight the capabilities of the two aircraft and the Airmen who fly, maintain and support them at Selfridge Air National Guard Base.

The videos are available for viewing at the accompanying links. The videos were created by the 127th Wing's Public Affairs office.

Comprised of approximately 1,700 personnel and flying both the A-10 Thunderbolt II and the KC-135 Stratotanker, the 127th Wing supports Air Mobility Command, Air Combat Command and Air Force Special Operation Command by providing highly-skilled Airmen to missions domestically and overseas. The 127th Wing is the host unit at Selfridge Air National Guard Base, which marks its 97th year of continuous military air operations in 2014.