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Show HILLTOP TIMES Airdrops break records in Afghanistan 8 TIMES July 15,2010 ferent radios which were actively being used to accomplish U.S. Transportation Command this. With dozens of aircraft COTT AIR FORCE BASE, flying a wide variety of mis111. — When your unit is sions, and all of them needing surrounded by an enemy access to the same airspace at hitting you with small-arms fire the same time, things can get and rocket-propelled grenades, complicated quickly. and mortar rounds are scream"In short," Huffstetler ing in and you're running low continued, "with three pilots on food, ammunition and evtalking on four radios, some of erything else, you can't exactly which were less than 'loud and send someone to Walmart for clear,1 and driving 20 minutes supplies. out of our way in order to avoid That's when you pray for an traffic and blocked airspace, we airdrop. Now. successfully got the drop off "Sometimes these missions and delivered the goods to the are like driving an 18-wheeler user. All of this being at night through a 5 o'clock traffic jam and on (night-vision goggles)." while trying to ask for direcDespite communication tions with a cell phone that glitches and other problems isn't getting any reception," encountered on these missaid Capt. Scott Huffstetler, an sions, during a recent 12-week airdrop mission planner with period, about 500 bundles the 8th Airlift Squadron in Afwere dropped per week, which ghanistan. "Eventually, you just amounts to 450 tons dropped muscle your way through and each week. get the job done. For comparison, during the Battle of the Bulge in World "The airspace in (AfghaniWar II, 482 tons of supplies stan) can be incredibly busy, were dropped in a two-day peand often times the terrain riod in December 1944. In Vietmakes radio reception poor," nam, during the battle of Khe Huffstetler added. "Last night, Sahn, 294 tons were dropped in my crew and I flew a mission a 77-day period. into an area of the country where the air traffic congestion April was a record month could rival Frankfurt, Atlanta for bundles dropped, with more or Chicago." than 2,700 delivered, Col. Keith Boone said, with April 7 setHuffstetler said communiting a single-day record of 200 cation and coordination had to bundles, equaling 160 tons. be accomplished during that mission by talking with many "We have been steadily different air traffic control increasing since sustainment areas, none of which could hear airdrop operations began in the other. 2005," said Col. Boone, the commander of the 621st Contingen"One of the biggest chalcy Response Wing at Joint Base lenges that we face during the McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., airdrop missions is coordinatwho has managed airdrops ing clearance into the different since his arrival in Afghanistan airspaces within the country," he said. "With about 10 minutes last year. "Undoubtedly, this is the longest aerial delivery until the drop, we had four difBY BOB FEHRINGER S 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 STAFF SGT. MANUEL J. MARTINEZ/U.S. Air Force doors. Delivery System bundles parachute to the ground from a "Lots of great innovations C-17 Globemaster III transport jet over a drop zone May 9 in (are) happening in theater," Afghanistan. said Brig. Gen. Barbara Faulkpre-packed expendable paraenberry, the former director of recently flew on one of the chutes, in groups of up to four mobility forces and commandairdrop resupply missions in bundles per pass. er of Air Mobility Command's Afghanistan. 15th Expeditionary Mobility "The LCLA drops will meet "The work these Airmen Task Force. "The end result is the needs of a smaller subset do every day is saving lives," we're providing what the war of the units," Boone said. "This McNabb said. "I am amazed fighter needs, when he needs it, is a significant step forward by our Airmen. No matter the and where he needs it." in our ability to sustain those size of the challenges they face, engaged in counterinsurgency Among those innovations they find solutions and get the operations throughout Afghani- job done. These airdrop misare the Joint Precision Airdrop stan. System, the Improved Consions are a terrific example of "Our main method of supply tainer Delivery System and how our phenomenal people in will continue to be through airthe most recent development, the field will always deliver to land missions — landing at airthe C-130 Hercules "low-cost the war fighter." low-altitude" combat airdrop to fields and offloading supplies," U.S. Central Command Comresupply soldiers at a forward Boone continued. "Where that bined Air and Space Operations operating base. isn't possible, we will deliver Center officials said 97 percent sustainment requirements of the airdrops have been on JPADS uses GPS, steerable through larger-scale (container target. parachutes and an onboard delivery system airdrops) — "Tactical airlift has never computer to steer loads to a everything from ammunition to been so responsive, so agile designated point on a drop meals." in our (tactics, techniques and zone. It integrates the Army's procedures), and critical in a Precision and Extended Glide These resupply missions are fight," Faulkenberry said. "AirAirdrop System and the Air coordinated by U.S. Transpordrop is enabling the small, disForce's Precision Airdrop Systation Command officials with persed (counterinsurgency unit tem program. ICDS allows for their component commands: to engage and operate. This improved precision by factorthe Army's Military Surface April, we dropped 4,860,000 ing in the altitude, wind speed, Deployment and Distribution pounds to ground forces who wind direction, terrain and Command, the Air Force's Air needed the food, fuel or ammuother circumstances that might Mobility Command and the nition. It is taking air-ground affect the drop. A low-cost, Navy's Military Sealift Comteamwork to succeed, and low-altitude airdrop is accommand. together, we're making our hisplished by dropping bundles Gen. Duncan J. 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