Cannibalism prevents mission blockade Published May 23, 2013 By Staff Sgt. Jason McCasland 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. -- One thing that both aircraft and support equipment have in common is the need to be maintained, and sometimes this means that worn or broken parts need to be replaced. But where can the Air Force turn when a plane needs to be repaired immediately and the parts are not on-hand or have been discontinued. "Parts for the B-52 can sometimes be limited due to its age," said Tech. Sgt Regis Redding, 2nd Maintenance Operations Squadron NCO- in charge deficiency and analysis. "In those cases or in the case of backordered parts we can [cannibalize] parts from other aircraft that are down for extended maintenance or other issues. But, canning is a last ditch effort to get the plane flying again." Canning is not only for aircraft maintenance. The 2nd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle maintenance flight use borrowed parts to maintain their mission capabilities. "[Cannibalization] is not something that we do because it is easier," said Rob Peterman, 2 LRS VM flight chief. "Actually, with all of the paperwork and double checking it sometimes can be harder to do." Canning does not just keep the mission rolling with vehicles and aircraft, canning parts can save the Air Force money and helps with waste management. "If we have a steering wheel that needs to be replaced, and we have a salvage vehicle that we can take one from then it saves us from buying a new one," said Peterman. While the word cannibal or cannibalism is associated with humans and animals, when used in regards to Air Force maintenance, canning can be essential for mission completion.