A C-130 Hercules from the Air Force Reserve Command's 302nd Airlift Wing in Colorado Springs,Colo., equipped with a Modular Airborne Firefighting System, drops a line of fire retardant in West Texas, April 27, 2011. MAFFS-equipped planes are capable of dispensing 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in under five seconds. MAFFs aircraft have been sent to New Mexico to support the ongoing firefighting efforts in the southwestern U.S. U.S. Air Force photo - Staff Sgt. Eric Harris

Under the direction of the Joint Forces Air Component commander for Air Forces Northern here, two C-130 Hercules aircraft from the California Air National Guard’s 146th Airlift Wing, both equipped with Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems, or MAFFS, deployed to Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M., June 15 to conduct fire containment missions in support of wildfire suppression efforts in the southwestern U.S.

The aircraft are being deployed at the request of National Interagency Fire Center officials in Boise, Idaho. Members of the 302nd Air Expeditionary Group will provide command and control of the aircraft from Boise. This year, the 302nd AEG, which is composed largely of personnel from the 302nd Airlift Wing at Peterson AFB, Colo., has supported firefighting efforts in Texas and Mexico.

Fire containment missions, which are assigned by NIFC officials or the respective wildland fire manager, are scheduled to begin June 16.

The MAFFS is a self-contained aerial firefighting system that can discharge 3,000 gallons of water or fire retardant in less than five seconds, covering an area one-quarter of a mile long by 60 feet wide. Once the load is discharged, a MAFFS can be refilled in less than 12 minutes.

The MAFFSs are owned by the USDA Forest Service, one of several federal and state government agencies and organizations with roles and responsibilities in wildland fire suppression that comprise the NIFC in Boise, Idaho. Department of Defense aircrews are flying at the request of NIFC officials.

The Department of Defense, through the commander of U.S. Northern Command, provides support to the NIFC in conducting wildland firefighting operations within the continental U.S., Alaska, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as approved by the secretary of Defense.

AFNORTH is the air component for U.S. Northern Command and when tasked, provides support to local, state, tribal, regional and federal emergency service agencies.

Air Force
by Tom Saunders
Air Forces Northern Public Affairs

A U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules and aircrew from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., prepares to combat offload four pallets of flood relief supplies at Skardu Airport Oct. 3. The mission was one of the last fixed-wing operations supporting flood relief in Pakistan. Between Aug. 16 and Oct. 3, C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and their aircrews transported nearly 6 million pounds of much-needed relief supplies to Pakistan aid distribution centers throughout the country. Photo by Staff Sgt. Andy Kin

The government of Pakistan has informed the U.S. that as flood relief operation shift from air to ground transportation, they no longer require U.S. military C-17 Globemaster III or C-130 Hercules aircraft support for delivery of relief supplies.

Two U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft conducted the last fixed wing missions to deliver flood relief supplies in Pakistan Oct. 3, flying humanitarian supplies from Pakistan Air Force Base Chaklala to the Skardu Airport in northern Pakistan.

“The mission was our last flight into some of the forward operating bases in support of humanitarian operations — the end of the fixed wing operations,” said Maj. Kevin Baylis, an Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules pilot from the 302nd Airlift Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. For the final day of flood relief missions “we flew into Skardu which is up toward the Pakistani border up in the mountains.

“Hopefully we [delivered] the supplies the folks need to make it through the winter. When you look at the numbers of folks who have been displaced by the flood, it’s good to be able to help out with that,” said the major, who is on his first humanitarian deployment.

Between Aug. 16 and Oct. 3, C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft and their aircrews transported nearly 6 million pounds of much-needed relief supplies to Pakistan aid distribution centers throughout the country.

“We’ve been flying into Skardu, Ghazi and around Pakistan delivering humanitarian relief supplies,” said Tech. Sgt. Matthew Beresky, an Air Force Reserve C-130 Hercules loadmaster. “Normally there are about four pallets, each weighing about 7,000 pounds, of mainly wheat and water, any other supplies … that people need.

“We’ve been flying two missions with multiple legs every day,” said the technical sergeant, a native of Carbondale, Colo. “We’ve airlift probably between 75 to 100,000 pounds a day — roughly about 25,000 pounds per flight.”

In addition to flying relief supplies to the north, “we’ve also done a fair number of missions into the southern part of Pakistan since there were a lot of flood victims there, as well as … several missions down south bringing in [supplies and parts] for the Army and Marines,” said Baylis, a native of Medford, Ore.

“I would say it’s definitely significant that we were able to come up here and provide the support,” said the pilot, though the crew had to battle occasional weather challenges in getting to the mountainous regions in the north. “I think we all would have liked to fly much more to help out, [but] … we got a lot done.”

To date, U.S. military fixed and rotary wing aircraft, working in partnership with the Pakistan military, have delivered more than 14 million pounds of relief supplies and evacuated more than 21,000 people from flood-affected areas.

As U.S. military fixed-wing support for flood relief in Pakistan ceased, the aircrew and maintenance personnel began making arrangements to depart Chaklala.

“I personally feel proud as a reservist, being one of the first to be staged here and one of the last ones out of here,” said Beresky. “This is what you train for — going to a forward deployed location like this, flying the missions, getting things done as you need to, and delivering the supplies that need to be delivered.”

While the government of Pakistan’s requests for U.S. fixed-wing relief flights have ended, there is no decrease in U.S. commitment to supporting Pakistan flood relief efforts. U.S. military helicopters, U.S. Agency for International development and other U.S. civilian agencies continue to provide humanitarian and recovery assistance throughout Pakistan in support of flood victims.

Central Command
Story by Staff Sgt. Kali GradisharSmall RSS Icon

A total of eight Air Force C-130s have delivered supplies to Burma as part of the U.S. relief effort following Cyclone Nargis, a senior military official said yesterday.

Five C-130 Hercules transports delivered water, blankets, rations, mosquito netting and plastic sheeting yesterday. “We have to have permission every time we go in,” the official, speaking on background, said. “U.S. officials have a verbal OK to bring in five more planeloads of relief supplies today, he added.

Military planners said they want the Burmese to accept six CH-53 helicopters to speed delivery of the supplies to those hardest hit by the cyclone deep in the Irrawaddy River delta. Burma has only a handful of helicopters, and military officials doubt the nation has the capability to deliver the supplies to those most in need.

The U.S. effort currently is limited to deliveries to the international airfield at Rangoon. The Hercules airlifters land, offload the supplies and then depart, the military official said. No Americans are on the ground to assist in assessing what the cyclone victims need and how best to get the supplies to them. U.S. military airfield specialists are standing by for the OK to help the Burmese manage the supplies that are flowing in.

Cyclone Nargis hit an area with 2 million people. A Burmese government spokesman said more than 35,000 people are dead and more than 30,000 are missing. United Nations estimates said the number killed could be more than 100,000.

The U.S. military is looking at options for setting up a helicopter forward operating base outside Burma, the official said. The base ideally would put U.S. choppers within easy range to deliver supplies to the southern Irrawaddy River delta. Officials said many areas in the delta are still under water and that there are no roads to many affected towns and villages. The helicopters would allow supplies to reach those people.

In addition, the USS Essex Expeditionary Strike Group is off the coast of Burma. Clean water is the biggest need now, and the Essex group has 14,000 5-gallon water bladders ready to deliver. The ship also has pallets of other supplies the crew could deliver quickly. “The capacity on those ships is incredible,” the official said.

The U.S. ships are only part of a flotilla rushing to provide aid the Burmese government is reluctant to accept. British, French and Australian ships are converging on the area, the official said.

But delivering fresh water and other supplies is only the first piece of the relief effort the Burmese people need, the official said. As terrible as the loss of life already has been, “the disease and all the second- and third-order effects remain,” he noted.

DoD
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service