Coalition Airdrop Efforts during Mobility Guardian 23

Japan Air Self-Defense Force C-130H Hercules pilots assigned to the 401st Tactical Airlift Squadron, fly a C-130H in a coalition airdrop mission over Tinian, July 12, 2023, for Mobility Guardian 23. MG23 is an opportunity to train alongside our Allies and partners to demonstrate interoperability and bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Devin M. Rumbaugh)

Coalition Airdrop Efforts during Mobility Guardian 23

Royal Australian Air Force Corporal Charlotte Roe, a C-17 Globemaster III Loadmaster assigned to No. 36 Squadron RAAF in Base Amberley, Australia, left, and U.S. Air Force Master Sgt Jason Livingston, a C-17 Loadmaster assigned to 16 Airlift Squadron in Joint Base Charleston, SC, right, watch as a U.S. C-17 from the 62nd Airlift Wing in Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, flies behind a RAAF C-17 from No. 36 SQN over the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands during exercise Mobility Guardian 23, July 12, 2023. MG23 is an opportunity to train alongside our Allies and partners to demonstrate interoperability and bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Sean Carnes)

Coalition Airdrop Efforts during Mobility Guardian 23

A Japan Air Self-Defense Force C-130H Hercules loadmaster (right) assigned to the 401st Tactical Airlift Squadron, and U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Rayne Jones, a Battlespace Engineer assigned to the 31st Combat Training Squadron, sit in a C-130H during a coaltion airdrop mission over Tinian, July 12, 2023, for Mobility Guardian 23. MG23 is an opportunity to train alongside our Allies and partners to demonstrate interoperability and bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Devin M. Rumbaugh) (Portions of this photo are blurred for security reasons)

Coalition Airdrop Efforts during Mobility Guardian 23

Published July 12, 2023
By Airman 1st Class Kadielle Shaw, Air Mobility Command Public Affairs

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR HICKAM, Hawaii --

During Air Mobility Command's largest exercise with Allies and partners, service members from several countries conducted coalition airdrops in the Indo-Pacific on July 12, 2023.

Mobility Guardian 23 Airmen completed a plethora of mission-essential tasks, including coalition airdrops, Aeromedical Evacuation, Airlift, Air Refueling, Global Air Mobility Support System, and command and control in a Joint environment with Allies and partners.

Airdrop is a complex, but effective operation often used in humanitarian relief efforts or in combat operations to deliver supplies or troops to remote or dangerous areas. These efforts are a valuable military capability that can be used to support a wide range of operations, especially during an exercise as large scale as MG23.

"Coalition airdrop is where we plan and operate across multiple countries to get a massive amount of equipment into a remote or damaged location," said U.S. Air Force Capt. Michael Thomas, AMC Lead C-130 Hercules air planner. "These airdrops are critical because it expands our logistics capability past just U.S. assets and allows us to deliver the right effects at the right time."

During MG23, the U.S. along with Allies and partners conducted a total of 16 airdrops all within one formation over the Northern Mariana Islands, demonstrating their ability to deliver equipment with speed and accuracy. Crews conducted a 10-ship formation from five different countries to airdrop equipment into Tinian, U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. During this airdrop, several different aircraft from the allied countries were used, including U.S. C-130J, Australian C-130J, UK A-400M, Japanese C-130H, Canadian C-130J, U.S. C-17, Australian C-17, and a France A-400M.

"This has all been a rare, but essential training opportunity for not only U.S. aircrew but for all countries," said Thomas. "It's given us a chance to build strong relationships with our Allies and partners so we are always ready to work together if we have to execute a rapid airfield re-supply operationally in the future."