FRIDAY FOTO (April 26, 2013)

Isn’t that a Flying Car?

(U.S. Air Force photo by Justin Connaher)

Ever see a Humvee fly? Well here’s what it looks like when soldiers drop a Humvee from an Air Force C-17 cargo aircraft into the clear blue skies of Alaska.

This airdrop took place over Malamute Drop Zone followed by paratroopers at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. The soldiers are assigned to the 25th Infantry Division’s 425th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team.

For more photos of this operation, click here.

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.

 

FRIDAY FOTO (Feb. 5, 2010) (Updated)

Inside the Globemaster

U.S. Air Force photo/Airman Rebecca Montez

The Pentagon announced plans again this week to stop buying Boeing’s C-17 Globemaster III, saying that at 223 planes, the U.S. Air Force will have enough of them when the last one rolls off the line in 2012. Because parts of the big plane (174 feet long with a wingspan just under 170 feet) are made in over 40 states — and unemployment remains high across the nation — Congress is expected to push back and force the military to buy more C-17s in the Fiscal 2011 defense spending bill. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warns he will urge President Obama to veto any bill with additional C-17 money, saying the funds are needed elsewhere. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, 4G WAR thought it would be interesting to peek inside one of the huge planes which can carry more than 80 tons of equipment. This one, bound for the Haitian earthquake relief effort, is packed with trucks, construction equipment and outdoor lighting units.  (Click on the picture for a more detailed image).