Photo: USAF/1st Lt. Taylor Ferry
There’s a major war going on over in Europe at the moment, the single largest conflict between near-peer, advanced nations since the end of the Second World War. The perfect time, it seems, for militaries not directly involved to flex some muscle, just in case.
Not sure if America is doing the same, for the simple reason that even before Russia hit Ukraine in February last year, the U.S. had been constantly running military exercise in a bid to keep its forces ready for whatever may come. Yet in 2022, and it would seem this year as well, the nation seems to have accelerated the pace a bit. In the early days of this year, for instance, it performed the largest C-17 launch ever from a single base.
More to the point, a total of 24 C-17 Globemaster IIIs left the runways at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina on January 5 on a so-called mission generation exercise that involved elements from the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Army, and Marine Corps.
Once airborne, the planes conducted a “show-of-force flight over the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston Harbor,” only to disperse and tend to their individual missions, which included command-and-control, navigation, tempo, and logistics under fire, as per the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
AMC is one of the organizations tasked with flying the C-17 fleet in support of military operations. The Globemaster in the current configuration has been around since the 1990s and is still described as “the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force.” It can be used for delivery of troops and cargo by airlift and airdrop, being capable of taking off while weighing 585,000 pounds (265,352) kg. That includes the airplane’s own weight and that of 102 troops or 170,900 pounds (77,519 kg) of cargo.
The training routine for this month’s exercise called for the 24 Globemasters to disperse after takeoff and land at four other bases in the area, namely Pope Army Airfield, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and Hunter Army Airfield.
All this while in the air a small army of other military jets was performing combat maneuvers. More precisely, 20 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Air National Guard Base were fighting in mock combat for air superiority.
Aside from these pieces of hardware, an E-3 Sentry and an undisclosed number of KC-135 Stratotankers were also airborne during the mammoth exercise meant to make use of a big chunk of America’s aerial assets.
The year has just begun, and while hoping the Ukraine conflict will not spill over the European country’s borders, America will probably continue to train for the worst in the months ahead, and who knows what other first will go down in history books.
More to the point, a total of 24 C-17 Globemaster IIIs left the runways at Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina on January 5 on a so-called mission generation exercise that involved elements from the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Army, and Marine Corps.
Once airborne, the planes conducted a “show-of-force flight over the Ravenel Bridge in Charleston Harbor,” only to disperse and tend to their individual missions, which included command-and-control, navigation, tempo, and logistics under fire, as per the Air Mobility Command (AMC).
AMC is one of the organizations tasked with flying the C-17 fleet in support of military operations. The Globemaster in the current configuration has been around since the 1990s and is still described as “the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force.” It can be used for delivery of troops and cargo by airlift and airdrop, being capable of taking off while weighing 585,000 pounds (265,352) kg. That includes the airplane’s own weight and that of 102 troops or 170,900 pounds (77,519 kg) of cargo.
The training routine for this month’s exercise called for the 24 Globemasters to disperse after takeoff and land at four other bases in the area, namely Pope Army Airfield, Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, and Hunter Army Airfield.
All this while in the air a small army of other military jets was performing combat maneuvers. More precisely, 20 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Shaw Air Force Base and McEntire Air National Guard Base were fighting in mock combat for air superiority.
Aside from these pieces of hardware, an E-3 Sentry and an undisclosed number of KC-135 Stratotankers were also airborne during the mammoth exercise meant to make use of a big chunk of America’s aerial assets.
The year has just begun, and while hoping the Ukraine conflict will not spill over the European country’s borders, America will probably continue to train for the worst in the months ahead, and who knows what other first will go down in history books.
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