WILMINGTON — A Dover Air Force Base airman was sentenced to 60 months in prison for possessing a child pornography collection including thousands of images and videos, authorities said Thursday.

Following a prison stay, Robert Z. Hollingsworth, 27, of Bryon, Illinois, will serve 10 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney David C. Weiss of the District of Delaware announced. U.S. District Judge Richard G. Andrews of the District of Delaware issued the sentence.

Mr. Hollingsworth, an airman first class, had collected more than 10,000 images and 3,000 videos of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct, including but not limited to sexual intercourse, authorities said. More than 600 of those images depicted prepubescent children or children younger than 12 years of age, the U.S. Attorney said.

Of the 162 identified victims, 16 came forward seeking restitution, authorities said. The U.S. District Court awarded $48,000 in total restitution, for the known victims.

Mr. Weiss stated, “Our office will do whatever is necessary to protect the most vulnerable among us — our children — from the abhorrent shadow industry that produces, distributes, and collects child pornography and from those who lurk in its base marketplace.”

The case was handled by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Graham Robinson of the District of Delaware prosecuted the case.

Officials said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.

More information about Project Safe Childhood is online at www.justice.gov/psc.