Aerial Port construction update

The two-story aerial port facility, located on the flight line at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is approximately 60 percent complete as of March 15, 2012. The aerial port facility will be owned and operated by the 403rd Wing. The facility will be used to support C-130J Hercules operations, training and mobilization requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Aerial Port construction update

Victor Garcia, Southern Stucco, Inc., applies exterior insulation finish system on the drying tower of the aerial port facility March 15, 2012, at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. The drying tower is where parachutes and cargo chutes are hung to dry. The aerial port facility will be owned and operated by the 403rd Wing. The facility will be used to support C-130J Hercules operations, training and mobilization requirements. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Firing Range construction update

The Keesler Indoor Firing Range, located behind the 81st Security Forces Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., is approximately 90 percent complete. The 81st SFS and other base personnel will use the facility for weapons training and qualifications. A retrieval system inside the firing range can be controlled by the range tower operator to set conditions such as illuminating targets for night time conditions or using strobe lights to give the effect of police cars at night. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

Firing Range construction update

Steve Howard and Kevin Gary, laborers for Bulldog Construction, spread rock on the stable grid used to absorb water outside of the Keesler Indoor Firing Range at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., March 15, 2012. The 81st Security Forces Squadron and other base personnel will use the indoor facility for weapons training and qualifications. The facility is approximately 90 percent complete. (U.S. Air Force photo by Kemberly Groue)

New Keesler buildings approach completion

Published March 21, 2012
By Steve Hoffmann
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Two new buildings will be brought online soon at Keesler -- the aerial port facility and an indoor firing range.

Aerial port facility

The aerial port facility is located on the flight line at the corner of Fisher and H Streets. It will be owned and operated by the 403rd Wing's 41st Aerial Port Squadron. The facility will be used to support C-130 operations, training and massive mobilization requirements. The facility features a large drying tower for parachutes used to deploy equipment and cargo. The chutes are hung vertically from a system of pulleys and left to dry using heaters and an HVAC drying system.

The two-story facility will have approximately 30,000 square feet for workspace, classrooms and administration.

Perhaps the facility's most interesting feature is the strength of construction. According to David Horner, construction oversight lead with CSC, the facility is built to withstand Katrina-force winds and then some.

Horner said that before Katrina, the existing code for structures built along the gulf coast was called the Miami-Dade county code after Hurricane Andrew hit in 1992. It called for construction with the ability to withstand 140 mph winds. Now, buildings must be built in excess of that and include a safety factor that would allow them to endure another Katrina.

The facility is anchored by numerous pre-stressed, reinforced concrete pilings pounded deep into the ground, fortified with a steel I-beam frame, concrete block walls that are reinforced both vertically and horizontally and inch-thick safety impact glass for the windows.

According to Horner, the facility is approximately 60 percent complete. It is currently being wrapped with brick and electrical, plumbing and HVAC systems are being installed. When the facility is 70 percent complete, most of the construction will move indoors with interior finishes being implemented.

Indoor firing range

At the end of Chappie James Boulevard next to Larcher Chapel, the 81st Security Forces Squadron's new indoor firing range is 87 percent complete.

"This is a state-of-the art facility that's pretty unique to the Air Force," said Horner. "Keesler is one of only a few bases that have an indoor firing range."

In the early stages of construction the buildings prefabricated walls were hoisted into place with cranes using a rapid contrsction method known as 'tilt-up.'

The facility also has steel bullet catchers and bins to collect the bullets which makes firing a gun indoors possible.

Final touches are being implemented which include testing of mechanical and electronic systems and fire alarms on the inside. On the outside, concrete pavers and landscaping are being installed and a series of ponds are being built to catch storm water runoff.

According to Horner, these ponds will help prevent the random formation of ponds on streets and infiltration into adjacent facilities such as Larcher Chapel, the general's cottage and the water tower.

The small arms firing range is a $5.3 million project that will provide weapons training and qualification at Keesler rather than having to travel 17 miles to the Navy's combat arms training and maintenance facility at Camp Keller, Miss.

The contractor, Northwind Inc., began construction in November of 2010 and is scheduled to complete the structure by the end of March.

Once completed, the facility will be handed over to 81st Security Forces and training will begin.