AFMC Command News

Software Groundbreaking

Mason McKnight III, McKnight Construction vice president, Ric Powers, area engineer, US Army Corps of Engineers, Maj. Gen. Tom Owen, Warner Robins Air Logistics Center commander, Congressman Jim Marshall , and Col. Warren Berry, 78th Air Base Wing commander took part in the groundbreaking ceremony for a new $21 million Software Support Facility. U. S. Air Force photo by Sue Sapp

Software groundbreaking

$21 million software facility project under way at Robins AFB

Published Feb. 20, 2008
By Amanda Creel
78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Work began immediately following a groundbreaking ceremony here Feb. 19 for a 70,000 square-foot software support facility targeted for occupation by January 2010.

The new, $21 million facility will be a two-story building designed to help Robins AFB maintain its place as the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence for the Air Force and position it to become the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence for the Department of Defense.

Construction of the facility will join together three existing software facilities -- buildings 226, 227 and 330 -- to form a software support complex. It will also allow the 850 software employees to be located under one roof, rather than being located in different buildings throughout the base. Additionally, officials say the project should bring approximately 360 high-tech jobs by 2012.

Maj. Gen. Tom Owen, commander of the WR-ALC, said the addition of the facility would allow base software maintainers to continue their present mission while increasing the 402nd Software Maintenance Group's core capabilities. The general added that the facility would allow Robins AFB to continue to distinguish itself as an instrumental part of the vital defense mission for years to come.

Existing software support facilities presently support Air Force Special Operations Commandforces as well as Air Combat Command and Air Mobility Command weapon systems. Officials say they anticipate future workloads for newer systems, such as the F-22 Raptor, the Joint Strike Fighter, Global Hawk and Predator.

Some of the group's many specialties include tactical communications, radar airborne avionics, Global Positioning Systems and electronic warfare.

The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, in partnership with base civil engineers and the 402nd SMXG, will manage construction of the facility. McKnight Construction will be responsible for building the structure.