McChord aircrew conducts in-flight refueling, JPADS training

by Staff Sgt. Russ Jackson
62nd Airlift Wing Public Affairs

9/30/2014 - JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. -- What may have seemed like a normal day to Joint Base Lewis-McChord aircrew members was nothing short of that when they accomplished in-flight refueling, joint precision airdrop system airdrops and assault landings during a routine training mission September 25, near JBLM.

The day for the aircrew began like most when they have the opportunity to fly the C-17 Globemaster III aircraft. The Airmen all met at a flying squadron on McChord Field and held a pre-flight briefing discussing each member's duties during the flight and what training would be achieved. Capt. Nick Parise, 10th Airlift Squadron pilot, gave the brief as the mission's aircraft commander.

He informed the crew they would be executing an in-flight refueling training mission for the pilots before heading to the Hester drop zone near Yakima, Wash. to carry out their JPADS airdrop training. The mission would wrap up with an assault landing in Moses Lake, Washington.

The three loadmasters then got a head-start out to the plane where they were met by Airmen from the 62nd Aerial Port Squadron. The 62nd APS Airmen brought out three JPADS bundles on a 60K tunner loader and assisted in loading the cargo onto the jet and securing them to the floors.

JPADS is a unique airdrop capability that allows for cargo delivery from altitudes beyond the range of many ground threats and places the airdropped cargo within meters of a planned point of impact.

This method of airdrop delivery allows the aircraft to avoid the threats found in the low-altitude airdrop environment by increasing the jet's altitude and providing standoff distances while maintaining precision accuracy.

Recently, an Airman from the 22nd Special Tactics Squadron was award the Sliver Star for his actions during combat in Afghanistan. Part of his heroics included calling in a desperately needed ammunition airdrop from an aircraft that utilized the JPADS. Through the use of JPADS, ammunition landed within meters of his position while he was engaged in a heavy gunfight.

"We can drop JPADS into a precise location where friendly forces are not afforded the opportunity to secure a typical drop zone," said Tech. Sgt. James Chestnut, 10th AS loadmaster. "The use of JPADS reduces inaccurate landing due to variations in winds and vector, which also reduces troop's exposure in a hostile environment."

Before the crew arrived to their drop zone, they first spent some time conducting in-flight refueling training. The C-17 linked up with a 92nd Air Refueling Wing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft from Fairchild Air Force Base. The joint training allowed both aircrews to practice linking up and dis-engaging numerous times and transferring fuel needed to allow the C-17 to remain airborne longer and extend its range.

Upon the completion of the in-flight refuel, it was time for the loadmasters to spring into action. The C-17 arrived near the Hester drop zone where Chestnut and Tech. Sgt. Doug Hollingsworth, 8th AS loadmaster, opened the side doors in the back of the jet and prepared to release dropsonde ultra-high frequency receivers.

A dropsonde UHF receiver is a weather reconnaissance device that must be dropped within 15 kilometers of the intended drop zone in order to provide accurate wind data for the JPADS. As the dropsonde UHF receiver sends back wind information to the flight crew's mission planning system laptop, the jet will turn to make another pass to accurately drop the needed cargo using the attached JPADS.

"Anything that AMC can develop, utilize and implement to improve accuracy and safety of our mission should be sought out," said Chestnut. "JPADS is the safest way for aircrews to deliver aid to the ground."

As the C-17 arrived back to the drop zone on its second pass to drop the JPADS, Chestnut opened the large aft cargo door as Hollingsworth waited for the green light to cut the cargo free from its restraints.

Both loadmasters were notified down to the final seconds, the green light was given and Hollingsworth cut the strap letting the cargo bundle roll off the back of the plane and into the sky.

The parachute quickly popped open and from there the JPADS guided it to land within meters of the crew's desired location.

The aircrew made four more passes over the drop zone, dropping either two dropsonde UHF receivers or a JPADS each time before completing their training for the day. The jet then flew to Moses Lake, Wash. and practiced an assault landing.

With their mission accomplished, the crew flew back home to McChord Field. Their routine training day was complete.