LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- The 19th Airlift Wing conducted the base’s first-ever on-station Airfield Marking Patterns (AMP)-4 training at Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, April 3, 2023. While the training had been conducted off-base before, this was the first time it was done at home station.
AMPs are a system of classifications for different airfield marking configurations. There are four standard AMP designations, AMP-1 through AMP-4. These serve as guides for pilots and aircrew taking off and landing on airfields. In AMP-4, all lights on the airfield are turned off, and the area is made completely dark to simulate more austere environments the C-130 force may have to face in unconventional areas.
“This training prepares pilots to be able to land in places without the airfield infrastructure they’re used to or maybe without an airfield at all,” said 1st Lt. Abbey Steyn, 19th Operations Support Squadron airfield operations flight director of operations. “It enables us to project a more agile force and leave a more covert footprint.”
This type of training helps airfield management and aircrew prepare for a near-peer fight and Air Mobility Command’s large-scale Mobility Guardian exercise that will take place later this year across the Pacific.
“Mobility Guardian will push our aircrews in ways they’ve never been pushed before,” said Lt. Col. Aaron Webb, 19th Operations Group deputy commander and one of the pilots who flew during the first iteration of the training. “AMP-4 training is one of those ways, and the capabilities they afford will open airfields normally not available for landing throughout the Pacific.”
The training equips pilots with a skill set suited for both humanitarian aid and combat airlift operations—advancing operational capabilities. The force can project to areas in ruins or areas not yet built upon, ensuring full-spectrum readiness for any mission—anytime, anywhere.
“The presence of electrical power will not limit the presence of the 19th Airlift Wing,” Webb said. “We plan to be there to deliver hope wherever our partners need us, whenever they need us.”