FRIDAY FOTO (November 18, 2011)

Fuji Fly-By

(U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Samuel Morse)

A formation of U.S. Air Force C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft fly past Japan’s iconic Mount Fuji during a training mission known as Samurai Surge on Nov. 4, 2011. The object of Samurai Surge is to launch as many available aircraft simultaneously from Yakota Air Base in Japan. In this instance, seven of the 36th Airlift Squadron’s 40-year-old turboprop C-130s were dispatched within minutes of each other.

Yakota is home to the 374th Airlift Wing, which includes the 36th Airlift Squadron. The Air Wing supplies the tactical airlift capability for the western Pacific region. “We go to places like Thailand, Australia, anywhere in the Pacific Command area of responsibility to deliver whatever needs to be delivered,” says Capt. Michael Makaryk of the 374th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, one of the air wing’s four groups. The others are the 374th Operations Group, 374th Mission Support Group and the 374th Medical Group.

The 36th Squadron is the only forward-based tactical airlift squadron in the Pacific. It provides C-130 aircrews to transport cargo and personnel, and conduct airdrops,  medical evacuation, search and rescue and humanitarian relief missions.

Don’t forget to click on the photo to see a larger image of the C-130s and the mountain.