AirForces Monthly – July 2018

NEWS North America

18 // JULY 2018 #364 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com

‘Sister’ airlift

squadrons fl y

Afghan airdrop

Two C-130Js assigned to the 746th and

the 774th EAS prepare to refuel after

an airdrop of supplies to an undisclosed

location in Afghanistan. USAF/Senior

Airman Xavier Navarro

TWO GEOGRAPHICALLY

separated USAF units have

flown a combat airdrop

mission over Afghanistan,

from Bagram Airfield,

for the first time. The

C-130Js involved were from

the 774th Expeditionary

Airlift Squadron (EAS)

an active-duty unit,

located at Bagram, and

the 746th EAS, a reserve

squadron from Al Udeid

Air Base, Qatar.

The two Hercules

airdropped more than

30 container delivery

system (CDS) bundles

to a Resolute Support

Expeditionary Advisory

Package (EAP) on May 4.

EAPs provide support to

regional Afghan National

Defence and Security Force

(ANDSF) commands.

Lt Col Bret Echard, 774th

EAS commander, said:

“The uniqueness about

this mission is that it’s two

separate units, stationed

in two separate countries,

coming together for a

single airdrop, which to

my knowledge has never

been done before in

combat in this countr y.”

The 774th and the 746th

EAS trained for the mission

last October in the Green

Flag Little Rock exercise.

USS Theodore

Roosevelt

returns from

deployment

THE US Navy aircraft

carrier USS Theodore

Roosevelt (CVN 71)

returned to San Diego,

California, after a seven-

month deployment on

May 7. Having departed

San Diego on October 6,

it spent the deployment

supporting operations

Inherent Resolve and

Freedom’s Sentinel,

as well as maritime

security efforts in US

Fifth and Seventh Fleet

areas of responsibility.

The carrier transited

more than 56,000 miles

(90,123km), and made

five port calls in four

countries – the United

Arab Emirates, Bahrain,

Singapore and the

Philippines – as well as

in Hawaii and Guam.

The TR Carrier Strike

Group comprised the

embarked Carrier Strike

Group (CSG) 9 and

aircraft from Carrier

Air Wing (CVW) 17 flew

8,319 hours and 1,

combat sorties, including

operations in Syria,

Iraq and Afghanistan.

CVW-17 incorporates

Strike Fighter Squadron

( VFA) 113, VFA-94,

VFA-22, Marine Fighter

Attack Squadron (VMFA)

312, Electronic Attack

Squadron (VAQ) 139,

Airborne Early Warning

Squadron (VAW) 116,

Helicopter Sea Combat

Squadron (HSC) 6,

Helicopter Maritime Strike

Squadron (HSM) 73 and

Fleet Logistics Support

Squadron (VRC) 30.

The fi rst F-16 to undergo the SLEP is towed out of a hangar

at Hill on April 26. USAF/R Nial Bradshaw

First USAF F-

undergoes SLEP

A USAF F-16C from

the Thunderbirds Air

Demonstration Squadron

has become the first

Fighting Falcon to undergo

the Service Life Extension

Program (SLEP). Work

was undertaken by the

573rd Aircraft Maintenance

Squadron (AMXS) at the

Ogden Air Logistics Complex

at Hill Air Force Base, Utah,

and the milestone was

announced on May 3.

The jet is the first of around

300 F-16C/Ds scheduled

for the SLEP, which aims

to keep the aircraft flying

until nearly 2050. The work

includes a dozen structure-

strengthening modifications,

including to the bulkheads,

wings and canopy. The

F-16 was originally deemed

airworthy for up to 8,

flight hours, and this is

extended to 12,000 or

more under the SLEP.

The Thunderbird jet is

the first of four F-16s

that will be used as

validation and verification

aircraft. Ultimately, it’s

aimed to complete each

SLEP in nine months at

a cost of $2.4m per jet.

Umberto Greco

THESE TWO AC-130s were

recent visitors to US air

bases in Europe. AC-130J

Ghostrider 12-5772 (top)

was seen returning to

RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk

after departing nearby

RAF Lakenheath on May

28. Using the callsign
    ‘SHADOW 71’ this was the
    type’s debut appearance
    in the UK. The aircraft
    is understood to have
    flown a live-fire mission
    over the Salisbury Plain
    Training Area (SPTA).

Nicknamed Hells Belle,

the aircraft is operated

by the 73rd Special

Operations Squadron

(SOS), 1st Special

Operations Wing (SOW).

Meanwhile, AC-130W

Stinger II 88-

arrived at Aviano Air

Base, Italy, on June 5.

The aircraft from the 16th

SOS/27th SOW was using

the callsign ‘RCH1008’. It

made a night stop before

departing for Mildenhall

the following day.

AC-130s in Europe

Ryan Dorling