When members of the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing arrived at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, improvements to the flightline were needed for Airmen to perform their job safely. The 332nd Expeditionary Operations Support Squadron and 332nd Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron have been working together since October 2011 to fix airfield lighting issues.
 
"We have new blue solar lights on the airfield," said Tech Sgt. Kristen Schott, 332nd EOSS airfield manager. "When we arrived, the lights did not work, were missing or where not in place at all."
 
Pilots use lights to identify taxi ways and navigate parking areas at night and during inclement weather, Schott said.
 
While most runways hardwire their lights into the ground, the new solar lights are individual units that can be replaced one at a time without disrupting operations.
 
"Installation was quick and easy," Schott said, "Whereas hardwiring requires electrical lines to be installed and external power sources such as generators."
 
Tech. Sgt Randall Weston, 332nd ECES electrician, who helped replace the lights on the runway, said these lights are better than other airfield lighting situations he has encountered.
 
"The new solar lights are easier to work on," he said. "The conventional airfield lighting requires a series circuit regulator and if anything happens to the circuit or regulator the whole circuit could go out."
 
The new lights also save money and can be replaced individually with ease, Schott said.
 
"The lights cost about $300 each," she said, "And they are supposed to last more than 100,000 hours."