Air Force helps Army with airdrops

2/28/2003 - OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM (AFPN) -- Two aircrews from the 772nd Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and two from the 774th EAS conducted a heavy equipment combat airdrop in south central Afghanistan Feb. 17, and a container delivery system airdrop Feb. 23.

The crews, both assigned to the 320th Air Expeditionary Wing at a forward-deployed location, helped the Army's 82nd Airborne in its pursuit of al-Qaida forces.

The heavy equipment loads, weighing approximately 50,000 pounds, were used by the 82nd Airborne to set up forward-area refueling pits for Army helicopters. The Feb. 23 container delivery system loads consisted of sustainment supplies for the troops.

The airdrops were significant for a few reasons. They were the first heavy equipment airdrops of Operation Enduring Freedom and the first for the 82nd since the Panama Invasion, said Lt. Col. Kevin Tilghman, 772nd EAS commander and formation commander of the Feb. 17 mission. The Feb. 17 mission also marked the first time fuel has been airdropped since the Vietnam War, he added.

"The Army required a relatively short-notice, large-scale resupply, which was complicated by bad weather," said Col. Richard Johnston, 320th AEW commander.

The mission fell into the hands of the 320th AEW after the Army tried to move the cargo by convoy, "but the terrain and washed out roads made it impossible," said Tilghman.

On Feb. 16, after a couple of attempts to move the equipment and mission-essential fuel, the Army contacted the Air Force about air dropping the loads, he said.

"We got the 24-hours-out call and our planners made the mission happen," said Tilghman.

The 320th Expeditionary Operations Group sent three joint airdrop inspector loadmasters to Khandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, to help Army riggers prepare the nonstandard loads for both airdrop missions.

Both missions were made more difficult because of bad weather, "but they worked right through it," said Capt Jason Browning, aircraft commander of the second aircraft, referring to the rain and snow that the loadmasters had to work in.

The container delivery system load was airdropped closer to hostile forces and the terrain and wind conditions complicated the mission.

"It was one of the most interesting and exciting missions in my 5,000-plus hours of flying," said Lt. Col Rick Dieringer, 774th AES commander and formation commander of the Feb. 23 mission.

Members of the 772nd and 774th Expeditionary Airlift squadrons train regularly for airdrop and were not going to let anything stand in their way of completing the mission.

"Eighty percent of our training at home station is airdrop, while 20 percent is airland mission," said Browning, "so we look at ourselves as a combat aerial delivery unit, and it's nice to be able to apply our training."

The crews left here and flew to Khandahar, where they picked up the loads and loadmasters. From there they flew to the remote drop zones and air dropped the cargo to the airborne troops. They returned to home station where they celebrated their successful mission, though they were not surprised by the results.

Both Dieringer and Tilghman credit everyone from the aircrew, to the mission planners to the maintainers for the mission success.

"Both squadrons overcame several challenges but their mission successes were due to the dedication of everyone involved," Johnston said.