DOD supporting shuttle search effort

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PATRICK AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFPN) --  The Department of Defense assets currently involved in search, security and transportation operations related to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia include:

-- Air Force: C-141 aircraft from McGuire Air Force Base, N.J., will be used to transport NASA's rapid response team from Kennedy Space Center, Fla.

-- Air Force Reserve: Six F-16 Fighting Falcons from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base, Fort Worth, Texas, will be part of search operations and security. Two KC-135 Stratotankers from the 507 Air Refueling Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla., will be used to refuel supporting aircraft.

-- Coast Guard: 110-foot cutter from Naval Air Station New Orleans; buoy tender and station boat from District 7, based in St. Petersburg, Fla.; patrols in the Gulf of Mexico to check out reports of fallen debris.

-- Army: Four UH-60 helicopters from Fort Hood, Texas, to assist in search operations.

-- Navy: Dauphine helicopter from Naval Air Station New Orleans to assist in search operations.

-- Texas Air National Guard: A C-130 Hercules from NASJRB, Fort Worth, to assist with search operations.

An Air Force Reserve Command HC-130 is on alert here, ready to respond if needed. The Coast Guard also has two UH-1 helicopters standing by in Corpus Christi, Texas, and a C-130 standing by in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The DOD Manned Space Flight Support Office here is the single point of contact for coordinating initial DOD contingency support for the United States' manned space flight programs.