C-130s land on Arkansas Highway as part of an exercise
Air Force Special Operations Command and numerous units recently conducted some interesting training exercises in Arkansas. Watch these C-130s land on an Arkansas highway!
During the training exercise on 4 August, participating crews accomplished multiple landings and takeoffs. Watch some onboard video below!
A historic first for the AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship
A closed 3-mile portion of Arkansas Highway 63 provided the perfect runway for the exercise. It is located in the town on Bono. The exercise was part of the multinational Air Force training exercise Operation Emerald Warrior.
One of the participants was an AC-130J Ghostrider Gunship from the 1st Special Operations Wing at Hurlburt Field, Florida.
Special Tactics Airmen from the Wing established and secured a landing zone on the highway, followed by arrival of a C-146A Wolfhound and MC-130J Commando II from the 492nd Special Operations Wing.
The MC-130J crew then set up a Forward Arming and Refueling Point (FARP), as the AC-130J came in to land, same as they would in a combat situation.
After landing, the C-130 was quickly refueled, rearmed, and took off.
Simulating operations on non-traditional runways and areas with limited accessibility
“This demonstrates to our adversaries that we can meet them anytime, any place, anywhere, without the need for traditional runways to project air power,” said Col. Patrick Dierig, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing.
The 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard also participated, demonstrating their capability to provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief to remote locations with non-traditional runways.
In under 2 hours, 8 of their pilots flying a C-130H conducted numerous landings and takeoffs. They closed off 3 miles of highway, using 5,000 ft as their landing strip.
“This exercise validated our proof of concept as a capability,” said Col. Jay Geaney, Arkansas Air National Guard director of staff and a C-130H pilot. “I’m proud of our team that planned, coordinated, and executed this training.”
Numerous military and state agencies were involved
Numerous military and state agencies were involved to support, including Little Rock Air Force Base’s 19th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department and LRAFB’s 34th Combat Training Squadron.
In addition, the 189th Airlift Wing’s Safety Flight, the Arkansas Department of Transportation and Arkansas State Police also assisted. Craighead County Sheriff’s office, and the Lawrence County Sheriff’s office were also involved.
