Yokota Airmen participate in low-cost, low-altitude training drops

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katrina R. Menchaca
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan (AFNS) --  Airmen here used low-cost, low-altitude training to practice new airdrop techniques Oct. 7 at the Fuji Drop Zone.

Yokota Air Base Airmen were supported by Soldiers from the Product Manager Force Sustainment Systems from Natick, Mass. PM FSS provided the training equipment and technical assistance as part of a joint service effort to prepare Yokota AB's C-130 Hercules aircrews to use LCLA parachutes in Afghanistan as well as other potential humanitarian assistance or disaster relief missions.

There has been a longstanding tradition of supporting humanitarian missions at Yokota AB, Japan.

"Operation Christmas Drop is an annual event where we airdrop supplies to the indigenous peoples of the Micronesian Islands," said Lt. Col. Brian Porter, the 374th Operational Support Squadron director of operations.

"In the past, we had to use waivers and ad hoc procedures to conduct these airdrops," Colonel Porter said. "LCLA will give us a formalized way to train for and execute our Christmas Drop missions."

The LCLA training was resource intensive and on a compressed schedule.

"We all came together to learn this training, we all put every effort we had into the two-day training period to do this so we can teach our guys what they need for missions in Afghanistan and during Operation Christmas Drop," said Tech. Sgt. Robert Davis, the 374th Logistic Readiness Squadron NCO in charge of the combat mobility flight.

"What was special about (the LCLA training drop) was that we had never done that here at Yokota AB," Sergeant Davis said .

There are two types of LCLA parachutes.

The cross parachute, made from polypropylene, is a true one-time-use parachute. It comes prepacked from the manufacturer and is disposed of after one use. The cross parachute has been used frequently in the Central Command area of responsibility and thousands have been dropped.

The second type of LCLA parachute is made from durable nylon and is derived from surplus T-10 personnel parachutes. These may be repacked by the Combat Mobility Flight riggers for a cost effective method of training. Or they can be dropped as a one-time-use parachute for combat or humanitarian relief missions, just like the cross parachute.

"We have an abundance of T-10 parachutes because they are displaced assets from the fielding of the Army's new T-11 Advanced Tactical Parachute System," said Scott Martin, the PM FSS project leader for LCLA. "It's replacing the T-10 so instead of 80,000 T-10 parachutes going to a landfill, they are being repurposed as LCLA cargo parachutes."

"The LCLA is a new style for C-130s," Sergeant Davis said. "They have been used for several years by the Army for helicopters and smaller planes -- now they are trying to incorporate them into the C-130s so they can drop a larger bundle, for better practical use out in the field."

Air Mobility Command officials are also considering LCLA for a variety of other uses including night and emergency, or on-call, resupply airdrops.

"LCLA is well suited for small units on patrol or in remote outposts where they don't have the equipment or manpower to deal with larger container delivery system bundles," Mr. Martin said.

For the members of the combat mobility flight, they are now well-prepared to support members of the 36th Airlift Squadron and their training on how to use the new system.

"We can prepare (the 36th Airlift Squadron members) for when they deploy down into Afghanistan ... so that they are already trained and ready to go," Sergeant Davis said. "They can turn around and not have to take time on the ground there to get trained on how to drop these."