Neil
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Airdrops break records in Afghanistan"
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - When your unit is surrounded by an enemy
hitting you with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, and
mortar rounds are screaming in and you're running low on food, ammo and
everything else, you can't exactly send someone to Wal-Mart for
supplies.
That's when you pray for an airdrop. Now.
"Sometimes these missions are like driving an 18-wheeler through a 5
o'clock traffic jam while trying to ask for directions with a cell phone
that isn't getting any reception," said Air Force Capt. Scott
Huffstetler, an airdrop mission planner with the 8th Airlift Squadron in
Afghanistan. "Eventually, you just muscle your way through and get the
job done.
"The airspace in [Afghanistan] can be incredibly busy, and often times
the terrain makes radio reception poor," Huffstetler added. "Last night,
my crew and I flew a mission into an area of the country where the air
traffic congestion could rival Frankfurt, Atlanta or Chicago."
Huffstetler said communication and coordination had to be accomplished
during that mission by talking with many different air traffic control
areas, none of which could hear the other.
"One of the biggest challenges that we face during the airdrop missions
is coordinating clearance into the different airspaces within the
country," Huffstetler said. "With about 10 minutes until the drop, we
had four different radios which were actively being used to accomplish
this. With dozens of aircraft flying a wide variety of missions, and all
of them needing access to the same airspace at the same time, things can
get complicated quickly.
"In short," he continued, "with three pilots talking on four radios,
some of which were less than 'loud and clear,' and driving 20 minutes
out of our way in order to avoid traffic and blocked airspace, we
successfully got the drop off and delivered the goods to the user. All
of this being at night and on [night-vision goggles]."
In spite of communication glitches and other problems encountered on
these missions, during a recent 12-week period, about 500 bundles were
dropped per week, which amounts to 450 tons dropped each week.
For comparison, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, 482 tons
of supplies were dropped in a two-day period in December 1944. In
Vietnam, during the battle of Khe Sahn, 294 tons were dropped in a
77-day period.
Air Force Col. Keith Boone, recently reassigned after serving as
director of the Air Mobility Division at the Combined Air and Space
Operations Center in Southwest Asia, managed airdrops since his arrival
in Afghanistan last year. He's been chosen to be vice commander of the
621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,
N.J.
April set a record for monthly bundles dropped, with more than 2,700
delivered, Boone said, with April 7 setting a single-day record of 200
bundles, equaling 160 tons.
"We have been steadily increasing since sustainment airdrop operations
began in 2005," he said. "Undoubtedly, this is the longest aerial
delivery sustainment in the history of military operations. With the
exception of about five days, we have had at least one drop every day
since I have been here, and I suspect that is true for the past two
years."
Methods of delivering supplies to troops in the field have improved
dramatically since the early airdrops of World War II were conducted by
pushing small crates with parachutes out of the aircraft's side cargo
doors.
"Lots of great innovations [are] happening in theater," said Air Force
Brig. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, recently reassigned after serving as
director of mobility forces and commander of Air Mobility Command's 15th
Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. "The end result is we're providing
what the warfighter needs, when he needs it, and where he needs it."
Faulkenberry has been selected to be deputy chief of logistics for U.S.
Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
Among those innovations are the Joint Precision Airdrop System, the
Improved Container Delivery System and the most recent development, the
C-130 "low-cost low-altitude" combat airdrop to resupply soldiers at a
forward operating base.
JPADS uses GPS, steerable parachutes and an onboard computer to steer
loads to a designated point on a drop zone. It integrates the Army's
Precision and Extended Glide Airdrop System and the Air Force's
Precision Airdrop System program. ICDS allows for improved precision by
factoring in the altitude, wind speed, wind direction, terrain and other
circumstances that might affect the drop. A low-cost, low-altitude
airdrop is accomplished by dropping bundles weighing 80 to 500 pounds,
with pre-packed expendable parachutes, in groups of up to four bundles
per pass.
"The LCLA drops will meet the needs of a smaller subset of the units,"
Boone said. "This is a significant step forward in our ability to
sustain those engaged in counterinsurgency operations throughout
Afghanistan.
"Our main method of supply will continue to be through air-land missions
- landing at airfields and offloading supplies," Boone continued. "Where
that isn't possible, we will deliver sustainment requirements through
larger-scale [Container Delivery System airdrops] - everything from
ammunition to meals."
These resupply missions are coordinated by U.S. Transportation Command
with its component commands: the Army's Military Surface Deployment and
Distribution Command, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and the
Navy's Military Sealift Command.
Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, TRANSCOM commander, recently flew on
one of the airdrop resupply missions in Afghanistan.
"The work these airmen do every day is saving lives," McNabb said. "I am
amazed by our airmen -- no matter the size of the challenges they face,
they find solutions and get the job done. These airdrop missions are a
terrific example of how our phenomenal people in the field will always
deliver to the warfighter."
U.S. Central Command Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials
said 97 percent of the airdrops have been on target.
"Tactical airlift has never been so responsive, so agile in our
[tactics, techniques and procedures], and critical in a fight,"
Faulkenberry said. "Airdrop is enabling the small, dispersed
[counterinsurgency] unit to engage and operate. This April, we dropped
4,860,000 pounds to ground forces who needed the food, fuel, or ammo. It
is taking air-ground teamwork to succeed, and together, we're making our
history."
http://www.transcom.mil/pa/body.cfm?relnumber=100713-1
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. - When your unit is surrounded by an enemy
hitting you with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, and
mortar rounds are screaming in and you're running low on food, ammo and
everything else, you can't exactly send someone to Wal-Mart for
supplies.
That's when you pray for an airdrop. Now.
"Sometimes these missions are like driving an 18-wheeler through a 5
o'clock traffic jam while trying to ask for directions with a cell phone
that isn't getting any reception," said Air Force Capt. Scott
Huffstetler, an airdrop mission planner with the 8th Airlift Squadron in
Afghanistan. "Eventually, you just muscle your way through and get the
job done.
"The airspace in [Afghanistan] can be incredibly busy, and often times
the terrain makes radio reception poor," Huffstetler added. "Last night,
my crew and I flew a mission into an area of the country where the air
traffic congestion could rival Frankfurt, Atlanta or Chicago."
Huffstetler said communication and coordination had to be accomplished
during that mission by talking with many different air traffic control
areas, none of which could hear the other.
"One of the biggest challenges that we face during the airdrop missions
is coordinating clearance into the different airspaces within the
country," Huffstetler said. "With about 10 minutes until the drop, we
had four different radios which were actively being used to accomplish
this. With dozens of aircraft flying a wide variety of missions, and all
of them needing access to the same airspace at the same time, things can
get complicated quickly.
"In short," he continued, "with three pilots talking on four radios,
some of which were less than 'loud and clear,' and driving 20 minutes
out of our way in order to avoid traffic and blocked airspace, we
successfully got the drop off and delivered the goods to the user. All
of this being at night and on [night-vision goggles]."
In spite of communication glitches and other problems encountered on
these missions, during a recent 12-week period, about 500 bundles were
dropped per week, which amounts to 450 tons dropped each week.
For comparison, during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II, 482 tons
of supplies were dropped in a two-day period in December 1944. In
Vietnam, during the battle of Khe Sahn, 294 tons were dropped in a
77-day period.
Air Force Col. Keith Boone, recently reassigned after serving as
director of the Air Mobility Division at the Combined Air and Space
Operations Center in Southwest Asia, managed airdrops since his arrival
in Afghanistan last year. He's been chosen to be vice commander of the
621st Contingency Response Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,
N.J.
April set a record for monthly bundles dropped, with more than 2,700
delivered, Boone said, with April 7 setting a single-day record of 200
bundles, equaling 160 tons.
"We have been steadily increasing since sustainment airdrop operations
began in 2005," he said. "Undoubtedly, this is the longest aerial
delivery sustainment in the history of military operations. With the
exception of about five days, we have had at least one drop every day
since I have been here, and I suspect that is true for the past two
years."
Methods of delivering supplies to troops in the field have improved
dramatically since the early airdrops of World War II were conducted by
pushing small crates with parachutes out of the aircraft's side cargo
doors.
"Lots of great innovations [are] happening in theater," said Air Force
Brig. Gen. Barbara Faulkenberry, recently reassigned after serving as
director of mobility forces and commander of Air Mobility Command's 15th
Expeditionary Mobility Task Force. "The end result is we're providing
what the warfighter needs, when he needs it, and where he needs it."
Faulkenberry has been selected to be deputy chief of logistics for U.S.
Africa Command in Stuttgart, Germany.
Among those innovations are the Joint Precision Airdrop System, the
Improved Container Delivery System and the most recent development, the
C-130 "low-cost low-altitude" combat airdrop to resupply soldiers at a
forward operating base.
JPADS uses GPS, steerable parachutes and an onboard computer to steer
loads to a designated point on a drop zone. It integrates the Army's
Precision and Extended Glide Airdrop System and the Air Force's
Precision Airdrop System program. ICDS allows for improved precision by
factoring in the altitude, wind speed, wind direction, terrain and other
circumstances that might affect the drop. A low-cost, low-altitude
airdrop is accomplished by dropping bundles weighing 80 to 500 pounds,
with pre-packed expendable parachutes, in groups of up to four bundles
per pass.
"The LCLA drops will meet the needs of a smaller subset of the units,"
Boone said. "This is a significant step forward in our ability to
sustain those engaged in counterinsurgency operations throughout
Afghanistan.
"Our main method of supply will continue to be through air-land missions
- landing at airfields and offloading supplies," Boone continued. "Where
that isn't possible, we will deliver sustainment requirements through
larger-scale [Container Delivery System airdrops] - everything from
ammunition to meals."
These resupply missions are coordinated by U.S. Transportation Command
with its component commands: the Army's Military Surface Deployment and
Distribution Command, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command and the
Navy's Military Sealift Command.
Air Force Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, TRANSCOM commander, recently flew on
one of the airdrop resupply missions in Afghanistan.
"The work these airmen do every day is saving lives," McNabb said. "I am
amazed by our airmen -- no matter the size of the challenges they face,
they find solutions and get the job done. These airdrop missions are a
terrific example of how our phenomenal people in the field will always
deliver to the warfighter."
U.S. Central Command Combined Air and Space Operations Center officials
said 97 percent of the airdrops have been on target.
"Tactical airlift has never been so responsive, so agile in our
[tactics, techniques and procedures], and critical in a fight,"
Faulkenberry said. "Airdrop is enabling the small, dispersed
[counterinsurgency] unit to engage and operate. This April, we dropped
4,860,000 pounds to ground forces who needed the food, fuel, or ammo. It
is taking air-ground teamwork to succeed, and together, we're making our
history."
http://www.transcom.mil/pa/body.cfm?relnumber=100713-1