LUKE AIR FORCE BASE: Members of the Royal Moroccan air force traveled 6,000 miles to speak with Luke Air Force Base Airmen and tour the installation for an insider’s perspective on how an F-16 Fighting Falcon base operates in mid-March.
Royal Moroccan air force officials are in the process of building an F-16 base in their home country and they met with American Airmen to learn the maintenance and operational side of the aircraft.
“These guys are getting a squadron of F-16s in the near future and they are going to stand up an F-16 base from the ground up,” said Capt. Matthew Kucia, the 425th Fighter Squadron standardization and evaluations officer. “They are not just putting F-16s on an existing base; they are building the entire infrastructure.”
Captain Kucia said the Moroccan team decided to come to Luke AFB since it is the largest F-16 wing in the world with more than 180 jets. They wanted to see how the base integrates the jets, base operations and maintenance. He also said the team will visit the 162nd Fighter Wing in Tucson, Ariz., since that is where international F-16 training is conducted.
Royal Moroccan air force Col. M’hamed Saufi said the visit has been very helpful for him and his fellow airmen.
“Our base will be different in that it will be small compared to Luke,” Colonel Saufi said. “The number of technicians and pilots will not be the same since we will have fewer facilities. But we can apply Luke’s organizational points of view and the maintenance procedures applied to the aircraft, especially how to handle the foreign object debris on the field and the maintenance of the fleet.”
Colonel Saufi said the most interesting aspect he saw at Luke AFB is the infrastructure and the organization, especially in the maintenance squadron, civil engineer and readiness supply section.
“I am amazed at all the questions they’re asking,” said 1st Lt. Kevin Mauersberg, the 310th Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge. “The questions are spot-on, so they’ve done their homework. It’s good to hear what they’re asking. It tells me that they’re engaged, and we’re giving them the right information.”
“Morocco is one of the United States’ oldest and closest allies in Africa,” said Brig. Gen. Kurt F. Neubauer, the 56th Fighter Wing commander. “It was great to be able to share information with members of a country that has many of the same ideals as the United States concerning conflict resolution, counterterrorism cooperation and public outreach.”
