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Joint Test Assemblies heighten confidence in nuclear stockpile

A mock nuclear weapon leaves California aboard a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile. Radars in the United States and across the globe pick up its movement. Minutes later, the mock W87 plummets to earth over Kwajalein Island. Though it carries no special nuclear materials and, as such, is not capable of a nuclear yield, the value of this JTA is beyond measure.

Information gathered from the weapon’s sensors and instrumentation allows scientists and engineers from national laboratories to assess its performance to ensure that the weapon
functions as designed. This vital program enables the laboratories to annually validate the effectiveness of the nuclear stockpile to the President of the United States.

The Joint Surveillance Flight Test Program, under which JTAs are administered, is a collaboration between the NNSA and the Department of Defense. Testing has been ongoing for the life of the stockpile, and there are currently JTAs for all weapons except the W84, for which testing was discontinued several years ago.

“The labs design the JTAs, and we build and ship them to the military for test flights,” said Curtis Chamberlain, Pantex Production manager. “We also do post mortem or disassembly of the JTA after the flight on the B61, B83 and W80.” Others, such as the high-fidelity JTA, which use main charge high explosives, are destroyed on impact, though data gathered during the JTA’s flight is transmitted to naval ships or to ground stations.

Building the JTAs is a more detailed process than building a full-up nuclear weapon, according
to Chamberlain, because of the telemetry or “brains” that measure performance. Unlike protocol for production technicians elsewhere onsite, those working on JTAs can work alone and call on others for assistance when needed. “These guys are meticulous,” said Chamberlain.

“The most challenging part of these builds is the uniqueness of each build within the same
program. With those challenges comes the most rewarding part of building these units — we
confront and address each challenge and get the job done,” said Trey Gillman, Production section manager. “The production techs I have worked with and now supervise are some of the best on Plant site, and I consider that one of the biggest rewards also.”

JTAs are built using parent-unit parts to test their in-flight capabilities along with off-the-shelf and
vendor-supplied components, explained Ronnie Navarrette, Production Tooling department manager and former Production manager over the JTA program.

Technicians see the process from beginning to end — times four. Parts from recovered JTAs
may be used as many as three times if the mock weapon is dropped using a parachute. At their
fourth use, the parts are used on JTAs that are sent into free fall.

“JTAs are one of our end products, and I like the fact that they are actually used by our military,”
said Navarrette. “I like the deterrence value that they provide, playing an important role in
the security of our nation. And, they leave some fascinating contrails behind.”

For 20 years, the Pantex Lunch Bunch Club has been working to develop the gift of gab.

This week, the members of the Toastmasters International club gathered at Pantex to celebrate two decades of learning to be better speakers and better leaders. About 20 members, including three who were there for the founding of the club, celebrated the achievement, said Roger Coffey, one of the charter members.

Coffey said the club started in 1993 as a way to create a Pantex speaker’s bureau. Members worked to develop better presentation skills to represent Pantex at other sites and in the community. Over the years, more than 100 Pantexans passed through the organization, improving their public speaking skills by creating speeches and presentations for other members.

Many of the Lunch Bunch crew advanced to area, division, district and regional Toastmasters competitions.

For much of the past decade, the club was honored annually as a President’s Distinguished Club based on the members’ high level of achievement and participation, Coffey said.

Pantexans showed their community spirit June 13 when employees, along with their families and friends, volunteered their time at two local nonprofit organizations.

More than 40 volunteers came to an America Supports You Texas event to assemble care packages for our troops in Afghanistan. America Supports You Texas was founded in 2005 to create awareness and support for active military men and women, as well as veterans in our area. Over 200 boxes filled with snacks, personal care items and books were mailed overseas the next morning.

Another group of Pantexans and their families went to the High Plains Food Bank to lend a hand with its community garden. The garden was severely damaged in hail storms last month. The majority of the garden’s produce benefits children and afterschool programs throughout the year.

The garden has only two full-time employees and relies heavily on volunteers to help out. With the help of the Pantexan volunteers, the garden is expected to recover and produce fruits and vegetables well into the fall season.

Pantex biologist, Canadian scientist to study birds this weekend

Pantex wildlife biologist Jim Ray will be teaming up with York University researcher Dr. Kevin Fraser from Toronto this weekend to help study the movements and behaviors of Purple Martins.

Ray, Fraser and several volunteers will be capturing the Martins, which are the largest member of the swallow family in North America, and affixing small geolocator tracking devices to help expand scientific knowledge about the birds. The geolocators were provided by the Department of Energy and Pantex in connection with a Presidential directive to help study and preserve migratory birds.

“Purple Martins are declining in some areas of the United States, and it is critical we continue to learn about their year-round needs and protect them,” said Ray, who studies a variety of wildlife species in his work at Pantex.

Ray said Purple Martins have been popular among bird watchers since early settlers found Native Americans providing the birds with living quarters in hollowed-out gourds. Providing birdhouses has been a popular pastime for birders ever since.

“I’ve been fascinated by Purple Martins since I was exposed to them when I went to graduate school in South Dakota,” Ray said. “Although I have been studying and promoting them for 25 years, it took me 16 years to attract my first nesting pair.”

Martin aficionados like Ray place specially constructed bird houses in their yards. Ray, who along with Fraser holds a permit to capture the birds, has banded more than 10,000 Purple Martins. Since 2007, geolocators – which weigh 1.5 grams and estimate the location of the birds by recording sunrise and sunset times – have expanded the scientific knowledge of the birds’ movements. Researchers discovered the small birds spend up to a month and a half flying south to Brazil in the fall, but return north to their U.S. breeding colonies in only two weeks during spring.

The Purple Martin Conservation Association (www.purplemartin.org) supports geolocator efforts like the one this weekend.
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CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
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More than 100 Pantexans attended the annual Armed Forces Day Celebration at Pantex Wednesday. For more than 15 years Pantex has hosted a lunch and ceremony to honor those who fought to keep our country free. This year, the Pantex Fire Department Honor Guard presented the colors, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the National Anthem.

More than 700 Pantexans are veterans of the armed forces.

Leadership Group Visits Pantex

Leadership Amarillo and Canyon program participants visited Pantex May 9 and viewed a security weapon display, toured the Firing Site, and experienced the Visitor’s Center. They also received an overview on the history of Pantex. The 10-month Leadership Amarillo and Canyon program is designed to introduce leadership development, networking, community awareness, and social consciousness to those who desire to make a difference in their community. Because Pantex tours are not open to the public, this visit was a unique opportunity to learn about one of the top three employers in Amarillo.

Senior executives from The Babcock & Wilcox Company visited Pantex today to tour the facility and meet with key leaders. Here, executives pose with “Freedom,” the Plant’s 125-pound fiberglass American Quarter Horse sculpture.

About the photo:
Left to right: B&W Senior VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary James Canafax, B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery, B&W President and CEO Jim Ferland, and George Dudich, B&W Technical Services Group president.

Area middle schoolers build renewable energy vehicles

​B&W Pantex sponsored its Electric Battery Car Race Saturday as part of the annual Science Bowl Competition. Nearly 30 teams from middle schools across the Texas Panhandle competed in the races, which were won by Bovina Middle School. Panhandle Junior High came in second and Dumas Junior High was second.

Area middle schoolers work to build renewable energy vehicles

A record number of middle school teams will gather Saturday to put their engineering and building skills to the test at the annual B&W Pantex Electric Battery Car Race.

The race, which is part of the National Science Bowl, will pit 29 teams of car builders against each other in a competition to build the fastest battery powered car. The event challenges students to use scientific knowledge, creative thinking, experimentation and teamwork to design and build a car powered by renewable energy.

Each year, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) sponsors the car races, with different types of propulsion chosen for the cars. In prior years, the cars were powered by solar power or Hydrogen fuel cells. This year, DOE chose electric battery cars. Teams were given kits a month ago to assemble into the fastest, most stylish car they can create.

“This is always an exciting, enjoyable event for our area middle schools,” said race coordinator Debra Halliday. “It’s a fun and exciting way for us to encourage a new generation of inventors and engineers.”

The races start at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Tascosa High School cafeteria. Each race will feature four cars running down a 20-meter track, as well as a competition for car design, craftsmanship, creativity and the most appealing design.

All Amarillo media is invited to attend the races, which will run through the morning, with a pause for lunch from 11 a.m. to noon. The finals will take place after lunch and should be concluded by 12:30 p.m. Interviews with race organizers, coaches and students will be available.

The two senior leaders of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) visited the Pantex Plant Tuesday to tour the facility and deliver a message of support to the workers.

U.S. Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-Calif.) told an assembled group of Pantexans he was aware of the critical work done at Pantex through his role as the HASC chairman, but seeing it firsthand really made an impact.

“When I saw that weapon being put together, I was so thankful that you’re all here to do this work,” McKeon said.

McKeon traveled to Pantex with HASC vice chairman, U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, whose district includes the Pantex Plant. Thornberry talked about the challenging budget situation facing all levels of government and the importance of maintaining the capabilities of facilities like Pantex.

“What you do here is very, very important, and it needs to be protected,” Thornberry said.
After taking questions from several Pantexans, the two Congressmen concluded the all-hands meeting with a few final words of encouragement.

“(Pantex) is a crown jewel,” McKeon said. “You’ve kept us safe for many years, and you should be congratulated for that.”