To keep yet another
convoy off the road, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing aircrews in SW
Asia recently gave a textbook example of what agile combat
support is all about.
Several C-130 Hercules airdropped more than 69,000 pounds of
Meals, Ready to Eat to U.S. and Iraqi Soldiers engaged in combat
operations against Iraqi insurgents.
“I’ve never felt more like I was supporting the
troops than when I did this airdrop,” said 1st Lt. Anta
Plowden, a 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron C-130 co-pilot.
“The troops (who) we’re helping are on the front lines
of Operation Iraqi Freedom putting their lives on the line, and
we’re their lifeline. It’s just an awesome feeling;
we’re dropping food and supplies so that the Soldiers can
fight another day.”
The lieutenant, who is deployed from Pope Air Force Base, N.C.,
said at first he was surprised about being selected for the combat
airdrop mission but that training took over before, during and
after the airdrop.
“When I was first told that I was chosen to be part of
this mission, I was a little shocked and very nervous,” he
said. “I thought there were many more experienced co-pilots
(who) could’ve been picked instead of me. The first thing I
did was pull out all of my flight publications and read everything
there was on airdrop because I didn’t want to mess anything
up.
“I know it sounds silly, but by the time the mass briefing
was over, I wasn’t nervous anymore; it was something that
we’ve all trained for, and I knew that we could do
this,” he said.
Long before the doors of the C-130 opened and the 48 bundles
rolled into the darkness from 600 feet above the ground, a detailed
planning process dissected the mission with up-to-the-minute
accuracy.
Aircrews were given information that provided them with
situational awareness needed to enter a hostile environment. Some
of that information included satellite imagery, terrain elevation,
enemy threat information and lunar illumination at the drop
zone.
“The Air Mobility Division at the Combined Air Operations
Center tasked us with this mission, and as a weapons officer my job
is to develop a plan to accomplish the mission while mitigating the
risk to the aircrew,” said Maj. Ryan D’Andrea, a C-130
weapons officer assigned to the 386th Expeditionary Operations
Support Squadron.
During the planning process, there was constant communication
between mission planners like Major D’Andrea and air mobility
liaison officers to provide Army commanders’ firsthand
knowledge on how to use airlift.
Once the planners put the pieces of the puzzle together, the
crews were briefed on the intricate details of the mission, and
then they waited until the wheels were up.
The crews selected for this mission have been flying to Iraq
daily to move people and equipment, but for the majority of them,
this was their maiden airdrop in a combat zone.
“This is my first airdrop in a combat environment, but as
for this and every other environment, it’s the same: the
checklists and crew coordination,” said Tech Sgt. Brian
Beaty, a 737th EAS evaluator loadmaster. “The only difference
is that maybe someone will try to shoot us down.”
For a mission like this, the loadmasters were engaged in a
variety of tasks in the aircraft’s cargo compartment.
“We scan the aircraft for anything wrong, check and ensure
the cargo remains secure for the flight, and keep the pilot and
engineer up to date with the things we see in the back,”
Sergeant Beaty said. “In a combat environment, we’ll
also be positioned to scan outside the aircraft for any kind of
threat like surface-to-air missiles, anti-(aircraft) artillery,
other aircraft, and just as important as the rest, the
ground.”
During the airdrop, loadmasters checked to make sure nothing
would stop the airdrop system or cargo from exiting safely,
Sergeant Beaty said.
“For the rest of the airdrop (the loadmasters) are the
backup in case anything goes wrong,” Sergeant Beaty said.
“Whether it’s to cut the cargo loose or secure the
cargo from exiting at all, we make sure that our aircraft is safe
and ensure everything is ready for the next the phase of flight --
the landing.”
Before the crews actually landed, they needed to deliver their
cargo to the Soldiers on the ground.
“At the one-minute advisory my main concern is that all
the checklists are completed and that we’re cleared to
drop,” said Senior Airman Evan Britton, a 737th EAS
instructor loadmaster.
The young loadmaster said that during this part of the airdrop,
the aircraft flies low and slow, which is the perfect opportunity
for the enemy on the ground to try to shoot it down. Also, if the
checklist is not completed by the time they get to the drop zone,
or they are not cleared to drop, then they have to come back around
and do it again.
“I feel good that we can get these supplies to the more
remote areas in Iraq and reduce the number of convoys that are
required,” Airman Britton said. “Also, I know that a
lot of the Soldiers on the ground receiving these supplies are the
same ones (who) I airlifted into theater not long ago. There is a
special sense of camaraderie that comes from that.”
“The crews did an outstanding job,” said Lt. Col.
David Uselman, 738th EAS commander. “I expected nothing less
out of these warriors and wasn’t surprised by the results.
This is what they train to do, so when given the chance to do it in
combat, they were ready and well prepared.
“Every other crew wanted to be apart of it but we could
only select a few,” he said. “We prepare and train at
home constantly to hone our airdrop capability, but rarely get the
opportunity to do it in combat. It’s like a baseball team
that plays practice game after practice game but never the real
game. When the opportunity presents itself, everyone wants to be
out on the field.”
The colonel said that without the total-force effort of the
active-duty, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, the mission
would be hard to accomplish.
“We’re a total-force fighting team with two-thirds
of our fleet residing in the Air National Guard and Air Force
Reserve,” Colonel Uselman said. “When I look at the
crews in the 738th EAS, I don’t see ANG or active duty, I see
one interchangeable team. To me, it’s a real success story of
our total force -- one team, one fight.” [ANN Thanks Capt.
Carlos Diaz, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs]