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Joint training enables Reservists to train as they fight

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Tanya King
  • 403rd Wing Public Affiars
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss --  Reservists from the 815th Airlift Squadron "Flying Jennies" familiarized Army Special Forces customers with the C-130J-30 "Super Hercules" capabilities during a joint training mission in Key West, Fla., April 16.

Students and instructors of the Special Forces Underwater Operations School parachuted from the unit's C-130J-30 over a water drop zone as part of their Combat Diver Qualification Course training.

The 815th AS and its parent 403rd Wing routinely conduct Joint Airborne and Air Transportability Training with the Army, according to Lt. Col. Mark Carter, 403rd Operations Support Flight chief of operations.

Though the unique part of this mission for the Flying Jennies is that the drop zone is over water, the procedures aren't any more challenging than airdropping personnel over land, said Lt. Col. Brian Freeman, 815th AS pilot and mission commander for the training exercise. "In either case, we verify exactly where the user wants their cargo or personnel delivered and do our best to put it there."

The Flying Jennies delivered 14 students and instructors and one assault raft on target to their drop zone near Key West Naval Air Station.

According to Colonel Carter, participants learn what works and what doesn't in a controlled environment.

"We have the added benefit of not only communicating and sharing ideas, but we learn more about what other services do on a day-to-day basis and are better able to appreciate each other's roles in defense of our national security." Colonel Carter said. "We would rather have lessons learned in training than in a wartime environment."

"For specialized operations such as this, we depend on joint capabilities to ensure mission success," said Maj. Dave Butler, Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School public affairs officer. "It's vital that we train like we fight, and this joint training maximizes our effectiveness both at home and down range."

Other JA/ATT missions include transporting and delivering vehicles via air-land into unimproved airfields, or airdrop, paralleling the kind of requests the 815th AS might receive during combat.

"If a unit wants us to airlift a vehicle into a dirt strip, it's better to discover and resolve any issues around the on-load or off-load in a training environment," said Colonel Carter.

Training for combat missions can not only help identify potential problems, but also validate additional capabilities of the C-130J, the latest version of the Hercules aircraft.

"Past missions have helped prove the C-130J model can fly faster, farther, higher and smarter than the legacy models," said Colonel Carter. In 2004, the Flying Jennies were the first to combat-prove the C-130J.

"The J-model's improvements are most pronounced when we operate closer to the edge of our operating envelope; the more powerful engines and more efficient propellers enable us to carry heavier loads farther than the legacy models," said Colonel Freeman.

The glass cockpit and moving map, both features exclusive to the J-model, offer increased situational awareness, particularly in the low-level flying environments required to complete these missions, Colonel Freeman said.

Every six months the joint services work together to identify what is required from all JA/ATT participants.

"We find a mission that matches with our training requirements and capabilities," said Colonel Carter. "From there the tactical requirements are identified in order to execute the mission. Further communication after the mission makes the process even better."

This mission gave both Army Special Forces and the Flying Jennies an opportunity to train for war in a realistic environment, according to Colonel Freeman.

"In the C-130 world, the Army is our primary customer. Most of the way we do business is driven by what the Army needs," said Colonel Freeman. "That's what we practice for, train for and ultimately execute in combat."