Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ensure an HH-60G Pave Hawk is secure aboard a C-17 Globemaster III at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The Pave Hawk is on its way back to home station after a tour of duty at BAF. The Pave Hawk's primary wartime mission is combat search and rescue. The Globemaster III is a versatile transport aircraft and its cargo compartment is designed to carry a wide range of cargo to include large vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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An HH-60G Pave Hawk, secure on the C-17 Globemaster III, awaits take off from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The Pave Hawks at Bagram Airfield are attached to the 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. The C-17 is transporting the squadron's helicopters back to home station for their redeployment. The Pave Hawk's primary wartime mission is combat search and rescue. The Globemaster III is a versatile transport aircraft and its cargo compartment is designed to carry a wide range of cargo to include large vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Staff Sgt. Elias Carlon, an electronic warfare technician with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, uses heavy duty harnesses to ensure the HH-60G Pave Hawk doesn't get damaged on a C-17 Globemaster III prior to leaving from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. Sergeant Carlon is deployed from RAF Lakenheath, England, and hails from Vista, Calif. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Senior Airman Anthony Boone, a helicopter crew chief from the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, secures the tail rotors on the HH-60G Pave Hawk to ensure the aircraft doesn't get damaged at Bagram Air Field, Afhganistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The helicopter is being transported on a C-17 Globemaster III back to its home station. Airman Boone, a native of Newport News, Va., is deployed from RAF Lakenheath, England. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Senior Airman Josh Berge (left), Staff Sgt. Elias Carlon (middle) and Senior Airman Anthony Boone (right) work together to ensure the HH-60G Pave Hawk doesn't sustain any damage by securing the rotors at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. All three of the Airmen are with the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron. The Pave Hawk was loaded onto a C-17 Globemaster III for its return to home station. Airman Berge hails from Byron, Minn., Sergeant Carlon hails from Vista, Calif., and Airman Boone is a native of Newport News, Va. All three are deployed from Royal Air Force, Lakenheath, England. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Staff Sgt. Trevor Smith, a helicopter crew chief from the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, ensures the rotors do not move on the HH-60G Pave Hawk during a final check of the aircraft at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The Pave Hawk must be secure on the C-17 Globemaster III to ensure it doesn't get damaged in flight back to its home station. Sergeant Smith is deployed from RAF Lakenheath, England, and hails from Duluth, Minn. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Members of the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron ensure an HH-60G Pave Hawk is secure aboard a C-17 Globemaster III at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The Pave Hawk is on its way back to home station after a tour of duty at BAF. The Pave Hawk's primary wartime mission is combat search and rescue. The Globemaster III is a versatile transport aircraft and its cargo compartment is designed to carry a wide range of cargo to include large vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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An HH-60G Pave Hawk, secure on the C-17 Globemaster III, awaits take off from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, on Sept. 9, 2009. The Pave Hawks at Bagram Airfield are attached to the 56th Expeditionary Rescue Squadron. The C-17 is transporting the squadron's helicopters back to home station for their redeployment. The Pave Hawk's primary wartime mission is combat search and rescue. The Globemaster III is a versatile transport aircraft and its cargo compartment is designed to carry a wide range of cargo to include large vehicles, including tanks and helicopters. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke)

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Photo essay: AMC in action - Pave Hawks redeploy aboard C-17 Globemaster III

Published Sept. 9, 2009
By Senior Airman Felicia Juenke
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan -- In Operation Enduring Freedom, the Air Force's C-17 Globemaster III is a critical airlifter for the war effort. Some of this effort includes moving critical cargo such as pallets of food to helicopters.

In these photos, an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter is being loaded on a C-17 to redeploy from Afghanistan back to its home station in the United States.

According to its Air Force fact sheet, the C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States.