• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Wing, Group Marines go airborne

Marine Corps News

Release Date: 5/20/2003

Story by Cpl. Trevor M. Carlee

IE SHIMA, Japan(May 21, 2003) -- Marines here were not surprised when they looked up and saw stinger missiles raining down on them. It was all part of a master plan...to re-supply them from the air.

Approximately 16 Marines of 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group-18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron-152, Marine Aircraft Group-36, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; and Air Delivery Platoon, 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group, recently conducted an Aerial Delivered Stinger Missile Re-supply Validation exercise.

"For the past year, we've been trying to come up with innovative ways to employ stingers into the battle system," said Capt. Jim Glover, operations officer, 1st Stinger Battery, Marine Air Control Group-18, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.

The exercise consisted of Marines with the Air Delivery Platoon loading Field Handling Trainers on a KC-130 Hercules one day prior to the exercise. FHTs are Container Delivery Systems that hold supplies and have a parachute at the top.

Once the aircraft were over the desired target, the pilot tipped the nose, which allowed the FHTs to slide out of the back. The FHTs were connected to a static line, which immediately pulled the parachute for the package as soon as it fell out of the back.

"It flies by, drops the package, and the bird just keeps on cruising," said Glover, a Dallas, Texas, native.

Due to weather conditions, they can never be certain where the package will land, according to Glover. However, during this exercise, the FHT landed relatively close to the intended target.

Glover said they plan to conduct the exercise in the evening, when it's dark, and just mark the FHTs so they are visible at night. He said that will probably be the next step.

"We want to continue to make our options better and more proficient," Glover said.

The purpose of the exercise was to validate the option of air delivery for remotely deployed stinger-missile teams, according to Glover.

"We were thinking, 'If something is too remote to re-supply on the ground, I wonder if anyone has tried air delivery before'," Glover explained.

Originally, when the FHT is released in an exercise like this, there is also supposed to be a personnel jump at the same time. Personnel will jump with the package and follow it to the ground, ensuring the landing zone is secure until the team of Marines comes to pick up the stinger.

However, for this exercise, there were no personnel jumps due to wind conditions.

"Overall, it was a great exercise," said Sgt. Robb McBride, operations noncommissioned officer, 3rd Transportation Support Battalion, Landing Support Company, 3rd Force Service Support Group. "It was an excellent drop, and we hope to do this type of exercise with the stinger battery again."