86WG gives air support to US troops

Corporal Rick Kiely explains differences in aircraft specifications and USAF maintenance procedures to his CO, Wing Commander John Samulski.

RAAF Base Richmond’s No. 86 Wing has provided tactical air-land and airdrop support to the Oklahoma Army National Guard’s 45th Infantry Brigade as part of Exercise Air Warrior II.

Australian Air Force members performed to a high standard, claiming two of the three prizes awarded for the exercise – the Topcat award for the best aircrew and the An Loc Award for the best air drop crew.

Air Warrior II is the air portion of the US Army’s Fort Polk-based Joint Readiness Training Centre, which has a reputation as the finest and toughest light infantry and tactical air support training centre in the world.

Air Warrior II provided a complete training experience in combat airlift that is at the core of No. 36 Squadron and 86WG’s capability.

The combat airlift exercise was conducted by the Little Rock Air Force-based Joint Operations Directorate of the US Air Force’s Combat Aerial Delivery School.

Two Air Force C-130H aircraft played an instrumental role. The bulk of the detachment’s personnel were drawn from 36SQN, however support and observation personnel were also provided by Headquarters Air Command, Headquarters Air Lift Group, No. 37 and No. 38 Squadron and Combat Survival Training School.

No. 2 Airfield Defence Wing, Air Movements Training and Development Unit; No. 176 Air Despatch Squadron and No. 1 Air Terminal Squadron also contributed.

Air Force personnel were deployed to Little Rock Air Force Base in Arkansas, along with personnel from the US Air Force’s 39th Airlift Squadron, based at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas. The two units operated as an integrated unit, which extended to mission allocations, maintenance and ground defence of the airfield.

Two years in the planning, the exercise produced a high and detailed level of training and realism for all participants including ground crew, support personnel and aircrews. The flying crews executed varied combat airlift profiles, both day and night, including air-land and airdrop in a realistic combat simulation.

The combat environment included real-time command and control activity centred around the Fort Polk Military reservation in Louisiana, thick with simulated threat systems which crews had to effectively counter.

Two crews were “rescued” after conducting evasion procedures in harsh woodland crawling with “enemy” forces.

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