Air Mobility Command’s 615th Contingency Response Group at Travis AFB, Calif., have descended upon the former Castle Air Force Base, near Merced, Calif., for a weeklong exercise, during which the airmen are opening a “seized” airfield. Some 250 airmen and Army Reservists are running Operation Hydra at Castle, Ft. Hunter Liggit, and Paso Robles Airport through June 8. Castle closed in 1995, victim of an early BRAC round.
Air Force depots are not typically meant for quick repair jobs, but during Operation Epic Fury, the service moved some of its stateside heavy maintenance capability forward to fix battle-damaged aircraft closer to the fight.
