"We repair, modify and inspect all land weapons in the Canadian armed forces. That goes right from a little .22 to the big guns the artillery uses," Kipp explains.

All weapons technicians maintain and repair small arms. They work on larger, more specialized weapons systems according to their abilities and postings.

On base, weapons techs can carry out their duties in workshops, while in the field they may face very challenging conditions.

Because of the wide range of equipment the technicians see - and the sheer number of things that can go wrong - the work is varied.

"As the equipment gets older, certain parts break down," Kipp explains. "With older weapons, someone's always seen the problems before, so you know how to repair them. With newer equipment you've got to do a lot of troubleshooting - that's where your training comes in."

Weapons technicians work on electrical and electronic as well as mechanical systems. Electrical components play a crucial role in some of today's systems - like the new Coyote reconnaissance vehicle, whose gun is fired electrically.