Evaluators put ‘Js’ through the paces

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Jon Quinlan
  • 314th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFPN) --  Active duty, Reserve and Guard C-130J Airmen put the aircraft through its wartime paces here during a joint training exercise.

Airmen worked with Soldiers at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La., to test the airplane last month.

The exercise tested the aircraft’s ability to re-supply Army combat operations on the ground, said Maj. Pat Halligan, JRTC director of mobility forces for 34th Combat Training Squadron.

“(The Army) goes in with a limited amount of supplies and then it is our job to bring in what they need to sustain themselves,” he said.

Airmen from the 48th Airlift Squadron and 34th CTS conducted the joint training. Evaluators from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., appraised the airplanes’ performance while they flew in a high operations tempo.

The training squadron prepares Airmen for C-130 joint training. The squadron conducts more than 10 joint exercises a year focusing on complex war-fighting scenarios with the Army and Air Force.

“The test evaluation team looked at JRTC as an excellent platform to put the J model through its paces,” Major Halligan said. “(AFOTEC) will then prepare a report to continue the evaluation process for the J’s tactical employment.”

The testing marks the official release of the aircraft’s capabilities for the warfighter. The joint training was also vital for the Airmen who work with the aircraft every day.

“We know the airplane really well. But we learned a lot about the specifics on how the plane interfaces in a joint environment,” said loadmaster Tech Sgt. Jason Kunkel.

The Hercules delivered cargo using engines-running offload missions, air drops and at dirt landing strips. An Air Force contingency response group from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., worked with the Army in the field during the exercise.

Aircrews flew 15 sorties a day while engaged in a combat training environment. Aircraft on the ground at Fort Polk went through a simulated mortar attack during one cargo off-load.

“The JRTC exercise is the graduation exercise for the airplane -- high-mobility ops, 24-hour surge operations and interoperability with Army equipment and personnel generated from Little Rock,” said Lt. Col. Mike Brignola, chief of the global mobility test division at the test and evaluation center.

The evaluation, which began Oct. 25, now moves to the final phase. That includes a December deployment to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for cold weather testing.