Strategic Airlift Capability Supports Exercise Allied Spirit II with Airdrops of Artillery Assets and Troops
Szöveg: heavyairliftwing.org | 2015. augusztus 28. 9:00Allied Spirit II, a US Army-led NATO interoperability training exercise was held at at the Hohenfels Training Area in Germany from 4 to 24 August. During the second week of the exercise Strategic Airlift Capability C-17s contributed to the exercise by flying airdrop missions – achieving a first for the program, a parachute-assisted delivery of the 4,200 kilogram M777 Howitzer and its 6 x 6 tow truck.
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Allied Spirit II, that took place in southeastern Germany from 4 to 24 August, involved more than 4,500 participants from 8 nations including Canada, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Italy, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and the United States having an opportunity to receive interoperability training and pre-deployment certification.
At a request from its member nation, the United States, the Strategic Airlift Capability supported Allied Spirit II with its C-17 cargo jets by carrying out parachute assisted delivery of the equipment and personnel of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade of the U.S. Army in Europe to a drop zone at the Hohenfels Training area.
The 173rd Airborne is a regular training partner of SAC, but this time one of the payloads delivered was a first of its kind for the multinational program and its C-17s. On one of the airdrops, a SAC C-17 carried out the successful airdrop of a M777 155 millimeter howitzer and its tow truck, a 6 x 6 Medium Tactical Vehicle (MTV).
Before the airdrop, the 4,200 kilogram howitzer and the 11,200 kilogram truck were attached to their huge aerial delivery pallets and rigged with several parachutes that occupied most of the floor space of the C-17 cargo compartment with their travel length of over 9.5 and 7.2 meters respectively. The SAC C-17 delivery of the payloads was successful with both pallets landing within 90 meters of the center point of the drop zone.
