It wasn’t so many months ago that Defense Secretary Gates had to issue a direct order to the Air Force to make additional drones available for use in the Iraqi and Afghani combat theaters. Now we see these same UAV’s deployed for disaster aid. Seems like a step in the right direction. It would be great if the URL for this footage was public.

An RQ-1 Predator prepares for takeoff at Aeropuerto Rafael Hernandez outside Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on 27 Jan., 2010. The RQ-1 remotely piloted systems are operating out of Puerto Rico in support of Operation Unified Response in Haiti. Airmen from Creech Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nev. are providing 24 hour a day full-motion video in real time to international relief workers on the ground in order to speed humanitarian aid to remote and cut-off areas of the country following the earthquake on 12 Jan., 2010. (U.S. Air Force photo by Maj. Jeff Bright)

An RQ-1 Predator, tail number 3210, took off at 11:07 A.M. today from Aeropuerto Rafael Hernandez outside Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. The remotely piloted aircraft mission marked the first time the system has been used to support humanitarian operations and the first time RPVs have operated from an active civilian airport, taking turns on the runway with airlines, cargo planes and helicopters.

The “proof-of-concept” mission was the culmination of rapid coordination between Federal Aviation Administration officials, the U.S. Air Force, the government of Haiti and various international aviation organizations, explained Maj. Jeff Bright, the 432d Wing Detachment commander in Puerto Rico.

Approximately 50 Airmen from Creech Air Force Base, Nev., deployed to Puerto Rico on Jan 18th — and were ready to fly RPA sorties within 24 hours. Approvals and coordination between the government of Haiti, the FAA and local airfield authorities, was completed on January 25th.

“The second aircraft to take off today was brand new to the Air Force, we haven’t even had a chance to paint our unit insignia on the side,” said 1st Lt. Frances Dixon, the maintenance officer in charge with the 432nd Maintenance Group. The team brought six aircraft to Puerto Rico; their mission will provide 24 hour a day coverage over Haiti using two RQ-1′s, with the other four aircraft rotating into the orbit.

“Everyone involved in making this happen understood the urgency of getting this capability to the Joint Task Force,” said Maj. Bright. “We’re able to provide full motion video to the government of Haiti, U.S.A.I.D., U.S. military members, the United Nations, relief agencies and non-governmental organizations — anyone involved in helping the people of Haiti who has a need to access this video will be able to view, in real-time, where their services are needed.”

Pilots in Puerto Rico takeoff and land the aircraft, then aircrews at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., remotely fly the RQ-1 over Haiti via satellite while coordinating movements with relief teams on the ground. Real-time video from the aircraft is fed through a Distributed Ground Control Station at Beale Air Force Base, Calif., where technicians assist in analyzing and interpreting data and imagery. The video is simultaneously sent to end users via satellite. The systems will provide more than 20 hours of real-time video across the entire country of Haiti, and can move to any location to support emergency requests.

“The breakthrough of the RQ-1 is that a person on the ground can open their laptop, and watch the video in real-time, talk to the pilot and extend their vision beyond the horizon, over mountains, past roadblocks and into the regions cut off from support,” said Maj. Bright. “Our job is to get the RQ-1′s video camera where international aid workers cannot reach to identify people and places most in need.”

In order to meet the demand for imagery in Iraq and Afghanistan, RPAs involved in these operations were not affected by the team’s deployment. The aircraft deployed to Puerto Rico are used as training systems. “The students at the RPA schoolhouse already train 12 hours per day — in order to make this operation happen, we’ve extended the training day by 4 hours and will fly our remaining RQ-1s at Creech for more sorties per day.”

While RPAs often operate in military controlled ranges and on the battlefield, they only occasionally transit FAA-controlled airspace. Operating out of an international airport, alongside civilian air traffic, is a historic first, said Brig. Gen. Darryl Burke, the Air Forces Southern Vice Commander acting as the Air Component Coordination Element with JTF-Haiti.

“Today the Air Force team proved remotely piloted aircraft can operate safely alongside civilian, military and international air traffic during a large-scale air relief campaign,” said General Burke. “Together with our international partners and with the help of committed FAA administrators, the Air Force is ensuring every capability in our fleet can contribute to the continued success of JTF-Haiti.”

12th Air Force
by Capt. Nathan D. Broshear
12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern)

On Jan. 18, a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III -- like the aircraft pictured here -- airdropped more than 69,000 pounds of food and water to earthquake victims in Haiti.

A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III airdrops humanitarian aid into the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 18, 2010. Department of Defense assets have been deployed to assist in the Haiti relief effort following a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the city on Jan. 12, 2010. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., U.S. Air Force.

A U.S. Air Force Combat Controller from the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field Fl., watches pallets after an airdrop of humanitarian aid in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 18, 2010 for distribution. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr., U.S. Air Force.

Airmen from U.S. Southern Command’s air component, Air Force South, conducted an airdrop mission Jan. 18 in an effort to provide an alternate distribution point for relief supplies to Haitian earthquake victims. The mission was planned and executed by Airmen at Headquarters Air Mobility Command, 18th Air Force and the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center.

The C-17 Globemaster III, crewed by Airmen from the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S.C., departed Pope AFB, N.C., and delivered 14,000 Meals Ready-to-Eat, or MREs, and 14,000 quarts of water in the 7-hour round-trip mission to Haiti. To ensure the safety of the Haitian people, servicemembers with Joint Task Force-Haiti secured an area in which to airdrop the supplies. Once on the ground, supplies were distributed by JTF-Haiti, USAID and other relief personnel.

One of the greatest challenges in this relief operation has been lack of infrastructure, which has significantly slowed the delivery of supplies and workers to the greatest points of need in Haiti. Airdrop is one of many options the international community is using in order to create alternate distribution points that will enable aid to reach the people more quickly.

Since Jan. 13, Air Mobility Command aircrews have delivered more than 1,500 tons of supplies to the region as part of Operation Unified Response.

U.S. Air Force

A Haitian man preaches for hope while U.S. search and rescue teams search for potential victims in the city Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jan 17, 2010 following a magnitude 7 earthquake that hit the city on Jan. 12, 2010. Department of Defense assets have been deployed to assist in the Haiti relief effort. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. James L. Harper Jr.)

Here is some of today’s report from the lead United States relief agency, USAID. The entire report is at the link.

SEARCH AND RESCUE

As of 1100 hours local time on January 18, the USAID Disaster Assistance Response Team (USAID/DART) reported that U.S. urban search and rescue (USAR) teams had rescued approximately 40 individuals from collapsed buildings, including one girl two years of age this morning. On January 17, USAR teams rescued 12 people, including three children between the ages of three and seven. To date, international USAR teams have rescued more than 70 individuals throughout Port-au-Prince, an unprecedented tally for a five-day USAR operation.

On January 18, U.S. USAR teams continued to deploy to locations throughout Port-au-Prince, including the Caribbean Market, Carrefour, and a local school, to conduct reconnaissance missions where local residents have identified possible signs of life.

At present, 43 international USAR teams, with 1,739 rescue workers, and 161 dogs, are working in Haiti. Of the total, six teams with 506 personnel were deployed by the U.S. Government (USG) from Fairfax County, Los Angeles County, Miami, Miami-Dade, Virginia Beach, and New York fire departments.

ROAD CONDITIONS

Humanitarian organizations in Haiti report that roads remain difficult to transit, particularly as displaced populations are living on the streets, preventing trucks carrying relief and food supplies from reaching distribution sites. However, relief organizations continue to deliver an increased amount of assistance each day, in coordination with the GoH and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), according to the USAID/DART.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, the route from Santo Domingo to Port-au-Prince was reportedly passable, though bottlenecks due to relief traffic were creating delays of up to an hour at the border crossing point, and disorganized relief convoys were creating further delays. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently reported a transit time of up to 18 hours. The U.N. Logistics Cluster has requested that the Government of the Dominican Republic (GoDR) establish a humanitarian hub in Barahona as an alternate for channeling humanitarian relief cargo from Santo Domingo to Haiti.

Patients are being treated outside in a make shift hospital at St. Michael Hospital on January 17, 2010 in Jacmel, Haiti. Jacmel is located on the other side of Haiti with a city population of 50,000. Their Hospital was destroyed by the earthquake and is treating patients outside the hospital. About 350 people have lost their lives in Jacmel due to the earthquake that hit the region on January 12, 2010 according to Emmet Murphy Chief of Party ACDIL VOCA. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock)

MEDICAL CARE

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department will have all personnel and equipment on the ground in Haiti by the evening of January 19 for full activation of five Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs). The DMATs will initially provide support to eight severely damaged hospitals and health care centers.

Five U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) medical kits capable of supplying medical supplies for up to 10,000 individuals for a two-month period are scheduled to arrive January 19. The hospital ship USNS COMFORT is scheduled to arrive in Haiti on January 20 with 1,000 hospital beds and medical supplies.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has set up a field hospital at Hospital Universitaire d’Haiti in downtown Port-au-Prince, with the first surgeries scheduled for January 18. As of the evening of January 18, three Red Cross Basic Healthcare Emergency Response Units (ERUs) will be on the ground to provide care and triage in Port-au-Prince and potentially Jacmel. The Dominican Red Cross and the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo are working to set up a field hospital in Jimaní, Dominican Republic, near the Haiti–Dominican Republic border. An additional Red Cross Referral Hospital ERU is preparing for deployment. Combined, the field hospitals and Basic Healthcare ERUs will meet the needs of more than 500,000 people.

Patients are being treated outside in a make shift hospital at St. Michael Hospital on January 17, 2010 in Jacmel, Haiti. Jacmel is located on the other side of Haiti with a city population of 50,000. Their Hospital was destroyed by the earthquake and is treating patients outside the hospital. About 350 people have lost their lives in Jacmel due to the earthquake that hit the region on January 12, 2010 according to Emmet Murphy Chief of Party ACDIL VOCA. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Jeremy Lock)

A mobile command and control communications center is loaded onto a Charleston AFB C-17 at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey, Jan. 15, 2010. The 621st Contingency Response Wing at JB MDL deployed ground forces to set up air base operations to set the stage for expedient supply of humanitarian aid. Additionally, AMC has aeromedical assets that can take care of and transport injured people to follow-on care. (U.S.Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katie Gieratz) (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Katie Gieratz)

AFSOC Airmen save Haitian Earthquake victim, land over 600 aircraft in Haiti

Airmen from Hurlburt Field hit the ground sprinting earlier last week, kicking off the U.S. Southern Command’s overall Haiti Humanitarian mission.

The Airmen have performed a wide range of missions to include medical support, airfield management, and weather observation in the devastated country, which suffered a 7.0 magnitude earthquake, and numerous aftershocks.

“We arrived the first evening with three U.S. aircraft. Within 28 minutes we established command and control, airfield management, and were able to land aircraft that night,” said Col. “Buck” Elton, Joint Special Operations Task Force commander. “On a typical day, the Port-au-Prince airport lands about three aircraft. Since we landed Wednesday, over 600 aircraft have landed and taken off.”

As of Friday, Haitian air controllers returned to duty, providing long range control while the combat controllers prioritized incoming aircraft, directed landings and take offs while balancing confined parking ramp space.

According to a factsheet released by Air Force South, the Haiti Flight Operations Coordination Center (HFOCC) has been created to oversee the efficient arrival, off-load and departure of military and civilian relief efforts to provide much-needed aid to the Haitian people.

All aircraft delivering aid will be allowed to land on a prioritized basis. Priorities and landing times are determined by the Government of Haiti in consultation with the United States government and the UN Mission in Haiti based on current needs.

“By using the slot system, we have been able to maximize the number of relief supplies the airport has been able to take in,” said Colonel Elton. “We have it so that when one aircraft departs, another takes its place.”

So far, over 600,000 humanitarian daily food rations have been distributed throughout Haiti, along with water and hygiene kits.

“We’re diligently working with the Haitian government to prioritize distribution sites,” said Mr. Tim Callahan, senior regional adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. “Hygiene kits are becoming more and more important, preventing further medical symptoms from occurring.”

On Saturday night, Air Force Special Operations Command pararescuemen along with Arlington Va. Search and Rescue pulled a 25-year-old Haitian female from the rubble at the university. It took them 28 hours to rescue her and was treated by the 1st Special Operations Medical Group surgeons.

Joint international work has been the underlining theme in the Haiti humanitarian mission.

“International search and rescue teams have rescued 61 people as of Sunday afternoon,” said Mr. Callahan. “Out of the 61 people rescued 29 we’re rescued by U.S. joint teams.”

“Seeing the teams on the ground digging people out and making rescues is very powerful,” said Mr. Callahan.

“I’m proud of all the quiet professionals who are deployed here,” said Colonel Elton.

At approximately 6 p.m. Jan. 14, a Charleston AFB C-17 and crew departed on the base’s first mission to bring the humanitarian relief to Port-au-Prince, Haiti, which was struck Jan. 12 by a devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake.

Charleston AFB began launching relief aircraft to augment the overall coalition effort currently underway to aid Haiti disaster victims.

The 437th and 315th Airlift Wings here are projected to provide additional airlift for relief personnel, equipment and supplies as directed by U.S. Transportation Command and requested by U.S. Southern Command.

One of three commands under USTRANSCOM, the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command is fully prepared to provide any support necessary to aid Haiti relief efforts, AMC officials said.

Already underway are two additional humanitarian relief missions, which departed Charleston AFB early Jan. 15. Between the two most recent missions, as many as 80 Federal Emergency Management Agency search and rescue personnel are expected to be on board.

Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications, Denis McDonough, one of many who have been transported via Charleston AFB C-17s, said the relief effort can only do good for the country, which is commonly accepted to be the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere.

Compounding relief challenges even further, the airfield infrastructure required to provide rapid air delivery of supplies had been severely weakened following the earthquake, said 1st Lt. Ryan Fisher, 817th Contingency Response Group assistant director of operations.

The first mission from Charleston AFB was directed at improving the airfield conditions, by providing mobility support for deploying Airmen with the 817th CRG, based at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, who possess the expertise needed to reinvigorate the crippled Port-au-Prince airfield. The C-17 mission departed Charleston AFB, rushing up the East Coast and landing at JB MDL at approximately 8 p.m. , where air transportation specialists with the 305th Aerial Port Squadron, affectionately known as “Port Dawgs,” immediately began loading the aircraft.

The load-out included a mobile command and control unit used for advanced communications with aircraft, ground vehicles and ground radios, as well as satellite communication equipment. The control unit was painted an illustrious desert tan, an obvious improvement designed for concealment in a Middle Eastern wartime environment, yet now was to be used for a much different purpose.

With the suffering Haitian people waiting for relief, there was a sense of purpose to be acknowledged, and the Port Dawgs with the 305th APS wasted no time, pushing, pulling and hauling the remaining cargo into the cavity of the C-17. The final “items” on the load plan ended up loading themselves … approximately 20 Airmen from the 817th CRG who would be deploying in support of Haiti relief efforts to aid their exhausted counterparts who were already on the ground in Haiti getting operations underway.

For many Airmen in the group, the expedition will be a first-time experience, said Staff Sgt. Jed Bigler, 816th Contingency Response Group communications technicians, who will be staying back to help mobilize the 817th CRG.

It had been some time since a world event called upon the unit’s unique abilities in such a vast way, he said. Nonetheless, he said he was ready.

“I saw the damage on the news and thought, ‘I better pack my bags,’” Sergeant Bigler said. “We expect the unexpected and train for that.”

As it turned out, it was not his group which will be deployed.

The 817th CRG is expected to deploy to Haiti for at least a month, and the group is prepared to stay until the mission is complete, said Lieutenant Fisher. The unit brings along food, water, tents for shelter, and all the necessities to accomplish their mission.

“The [contingency response group] is like an air base in a box,” Lieutenant Fisher said. “We bring sanity to chaos.”

Missions began flying out of JB MDL bound for Haiti in the early afternoon Jan. 14. The arrival of the Charleston AFB crew in New Jersey was assigned to transport the third wave of Airmen and equipment scheduled to leave the base for Port-au-Prince, according to JB MDL airfield management.

The hop to Haiti was no stone’s throw across the pond, but the time passed fast enough for passengers on board, with most taking a quick nap before arriving at Port-au-Prince. Within minutes of arrival, the sense of urgency was apparent as Port Dawgs once again arrived on the scene.

The aircraft ramp was a tight squeeze for the monstrous C-17, and mere feet separated parked aircraft from other aircraft taxiing past them.

As the Charleston C-17 sat on the airfield, other aircraft were landing and taking off in nearly pitch-black conditions. In a city that once glowed with illumination for millions, some of the last beacons left lit were only the few bright runway lights of the airfield, guiding relief aircraft one-by-one.

With all the cargo unloaded from the jet, Col. Patrick Hollrah, 817th CRG commander, said operations were sitting at 75 percent and improving, but challenges still remained because of the size of the airfield ramp and the number of people available to work.

By the time the Charleston crew departed Haiti and returned home, it was approximately 8 a.m. The crew, worn for wear from the long mission, expressed confidence in their contribution to the relief effort.

“The mission was definitely a success,” said Maj. John Cousins, the mission aircraft commander from the 317th Airlift Squadron.

“Things have already improved within the last 24 hours … Things are flowing better, but definitely with the people we delivered and their equipment, it’s just going to continue to improve, and the infrastructure of the base is gong to be able to handle more cargo,” he said.

“We’re the only air force in the world that has the ability to deliver that kind of cargo in that amount of time. It’s a huge impact to be able to take our C-17s and deliver this much needed [contingency response group] and the supplies that are going to follow the CRG.”

The sun set just after 5:30 pm in Port-au-Prince on January 13, 2010. There was no moon in the partly cloudy sky, just the stars looking down on the horror that was Haiti. Help was coming, and would arrive about 8 pm that evening.

The C-130 Combat Talons of the United States Air Force Special Operations Command quietly glided out of the sky to settle onto the one runway of the Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport. The airport was crowded with planes that had made the dangerous, uncontrolled flight into the earthquake ravaged nation in the 24 hours since the quake.

Security personnel of the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron were first off the planes. The airport was swarming with both Haitians and foreign nationals and the safety of everyone was paramount. Within a half hour, the well-trained airmen had secured the facility and the remaining Special Operators disembarked. With radios already active, combat controllers began the task of air traffic control for the airport and the region.

Along with the security contingent and combat controllers, the 23rd Special Tactics Squadron brought pararescue personnel, trained as paramedics and also trained in urban search and rescue.

The airport had planes parked wherever the pilots could find space. Some needed refueling, others needed to be moved, and others needed to be unloaded. Through the night, the airmen worked to sort out the mess. Electricity was on at the airport and the runway lights functioned.

As dawn broke, the pararescue teams and their equipment moved into the city of Port-au-Prince. Acting on a priority list from the American Embassy, they began the difficult task of locating trapped survivors and extricating them from the rubble. By mid afternoon, seven rescues had been accomplished.

The situation at the airport began to be sorted out. Airmen discovered that there were only two tow bars and two fuel trucks, which made support services a bottleneck. Unloading aircraft was another. At one point during the day 44 airplanes were on the ground.

With little prospects for additional fuel reaching the airport, air traffic controllers were telling inbound aircraft to have enough fuel for departure as well. One large aircraft on the field required six hours to be refueled via the two fuel trucks.

With just one runway and the service bottlenecks, many aircraft circled the airport for hours waiting for permission to land. The FAA assisted in attempting to relieve the congestion by limiting or denying permissions for flights to Haiti during the day on January 14.

Additional resources from the Air Force arrived in Haiti late in the day on January 14. These planes brought more equipment and additional personnel from Mobility Command to enhance air traffic control and airport operations.

Special Ops C-130s, Teams Provide Disaster Relief

Air Force Special Forces Rescue Seven in Haiti Relief Efforts

US Air Force Special Forces Set Up Airport Controls, Start Rescue Missions