30 December 2004
U.S. Military Sends Aircraft to Support Relief Efforts
Six C-130 Air Force cargo planes in tsunami-stricken region
By Merle D. Kellerhals, Jr.
Washington File Staff Writer
Washington -- The U.S. Air Force is sending one of its primary cargo planes -- the C-130 Hercules -- to support humanitarian assistance efforts across the tsunami-ravaged Indian Ocean region.
The six C-130 propeller-driven aircraft are being sent from the U.S. air base at Yokota, Japan, along with three Okinawa-based KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, which provide in-flight refueling to other aircraft, said Lieutenant General James T. Conway, director of operations at the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"We have committed at this point six C-130 aircraft for airlift support. They will be operating out of the [Royal Thai] airbase at Utapao [Thailand]," Conway said at a December 29 news briefing. The Thai government granted the United States permission to use the airbase for relief operations and as a headquarters for Joint Task Force-536, which is coordinating the U.S. military humanitarian relief mission, he said.
Nations in the Indian Ocean region were devastated December 26 after an earthquake off the western coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island set off a tsunami that swept across the region, killing more than 100,000 people and destroying billions of dollars in property.
Overall U.S. military humanitarian relief missions throughout the Indian Ocean area are under the direct command of the U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, Conway said.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft primarily perform tactical support for U.S. military forces worldwide, but also have a vast array of other capabilities including natural-disaster relief missions, according to an Air Force fact sheet.
The aircraft, which is powered by four turboprop propellers, is capable of operating from rough, dirt airstrips and short takeoff airstrips where much larger jet-powered cargo planes cannot land or take off.
Using its rear loading ramp and door, the C-130 can handle a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel. In its air-delivery mode, the Hercules can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds or use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on crude, almost nonexistent airstrips worldwide.
Some palletized cargo can be airdropped from the rear of the airplane during extremely low-level flights without landing; the process guarantees rapid delivery of cargo with precision landings.
When the C-130s left Yokota air base, they carried palletized fresh water and Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), along with military disaster assessment teams, the U.S. Pacific Air Force Command said December 29.
In addition to the Air Force cargo planes, the Navy is sending its USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group to the Gulf of Thailand, and the USS Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group from Guam to the Bay of Bengal, Conway said.
The Lincoln group brings personnel and equipment to support needed areas such as search-and-rescue operations; delivery of food, water and medicine to stabilize life-threatening situations; providing limited transportation of displaced persons to designated areas from remote areas inaccessible to conventional transportation; and engineer support for sanitation and movement to affected areas.
Conway said the Lincoln carrier strike group has 12 helicopters on board the five-ship task force, and the expeditionary group is providing an additional 25 helicopters. The helicopters are "extremely valuable" because they can provide relief assistance almost anywhere in the region regardless of the terrain on a nearly 24-hour basis, he said.
The helicopters can provide medical-evacuation support and heavy airlift support for much needed food and water. They also can transport relief teams throughout the region.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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