(Pictured left to right, SSgt Michael Weinfurtner, A1C William Sandidge, and SrA David J. Lavalley, 510FS, load a laser guided bomb onto an F-16 prior to departure)

"About the second week of December, we started flying with the targeting system," said Lt. Col. Gary West, 510th FS commander. "The mission required the increased use of precision guided munitions, especially with the targeting pod capability. Our squadron happened to be on the Deny Flight watch at the time, and we had to accelerate our training program so we could carry the pod."

The squadron wasn't supposed to start training with the system until January. The change meant the squadron had to beef up quickly. By mid-December, the 510th FS had pilots trained for the job.

"Our guys stood up to the plate and got the training done," West noted. "In less than a week we went from having no one trained to having nine of our pilots fully qualified."

West said using the pods didn't mean a change in the type of Deny Flight mission the wing would fly, but more of a change in the capability of Aviano as a whole.

"The precision-guided munitions, laser guided bomb and the targeting pod go hand-in-hand. It gives us the ability to continue to do the mission more safely for everyone," he said.

The targeting pod allows pilots to see targets more clearly and to track targets with more precision so that bombs have an increased probability of hitting their target. It also allows the deployment of weapons at higher altitude and farther range. West said that translates to increased safety in doing the job.

"It adds an important degree of safety on the ground because the risk of collateral

damage is greatly reduced. With our mission in Bosnia, collateral damage is a critically important item in the decision process, not only because of the U.N. Protection Forces in the area, but also to avoid civilian loss of life. For this mission, military use has been very selective," West noted.

For maintainers of the 51 0th FS, adding precision-guided weapons and the targeting pod to the cache of munitions carried by Deny Flight aircraft added only slightly to their workload, according the weapons element chief, MSgt. Ronald Lee.

"It didn't affect us too much in maintenance since our crews were 100 percent trained on handling the munitions. Our workday didn't get any longer, we just had to get smarter a lot quicker on loading the targeting pods," he noted. "The squadron logged more than 100 flight hours by the end of December. We were capable of flying a lot more if necessary with our fully-equipped alert aircraft."

The fevered pitch in operations that quickly put the 510th on line with the LANTIRN benefits more than just Aviano.

"Having this capability not only gives us the means to do the job better; it gives the generals making decisions more options. And for U.S. Air Forces in Europe, it gives the command more precision guided aircraft," West said.

Prior to the 510th FS flying with the system, only F- 1 5Es from RAF Lakenheath, England, had LANTIRN for Deny Flight. "It gave them a little bit of a breather, and they were able to go home for the holidays."

The aggressive training taken on by the 510th FS is significant, noted West, and a milestone at Aviano.

"It represents a capability the squadron was going to have down the road, but when duty demanded, we were able to get it on line through a tremendous amount of hard work, long hours and intense training and flying. In the big scope, we're able to provide the Air Force, and potentially this entire region, with a tremendous capability. It's a real tribute to the men and women who made it happen." West said.