FRIDAY FOTO (September 23, 2011)

Large Package, Large Plane

(U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Michael J. MacLeod)

Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division await takeoff as they sit next to a Humvee and 105mm howitzer in the cargo hold of a C-17 Globemaster III heavy lift aircraft on Pope Field, N.C., Sept. 10, 2011. As part of a joint Army-Air Force exercise, C-17 crews use parachutes to transport the heavy equipment to the drop zone on the first pass.

It’s all standard operating procedure during the Large Package Week (seriously) exercise. The aim of Large Package Week (LPW) is to build cohesiveness between the sky soldiers and the airmen who deliver them to the drop zone. The services practice air-dropping  vehicles, artillery pieces, supplies — and troops — to improve readiness for the 82nd’s mission to be able to make a forcible entry into a hostile or denied area by parachute assault — within 18 hours of notification.

To see a Defense Department photo essay on this training operation (and to see what happens to the Humvee) click here.

Don’t forget to click on the photo to see a larger image.