HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- The 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit conducted a transfer ceremony transitioning 8th AMU personnel from civilian contractors to active duty Airmen, Dec. 22, 2021, on Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.
The 8th AMU deactivated on July 15, 2011, and reactivated with the resurgence of the 8th Fighter Squadron on Aug. 4, 2017; however, this will be the first time in over 10 years that active duty Airmen will have taken control of the unit. The 8th AMU is one of three F-16 Viper AMU’s assigned to the 849th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, which oversees maintenance for all of the 49th Wing’s Viper fighter squadrons.
“I haven’t seen a transition from contract back to active duty,” said Col. Nicholas Pederson, 49th Wing vice commander. “That’s a big deal because now we have the opportunity to set what the 8th AMU stands for and what the culture is going to become.”
The 8th AMU currently has about 65 active duty personnel assigned, but is scheduled to steadily increase their manning to around 200 Airmen over the next six months.
“With the addition of the over 219 positions that came to the (849th AMXS) we are now the biggest squadron on Holloman Air Force Base,” said Capt. Amanda Cyphers, 8th Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge.
In addition to the increase of position numbers, the 849th AMXS gained responsibility of the 8th FS's 28 F-16s making it the Air Force’s largest F-16 maintenance squadron.
“We are trained and prepared for this,” Cyphers said. “We will continue to work with our (operations) partners as we’ve done in the past to meet the demand of building the backbone of the Combat Air Force.”