Air
Mobility Command’s stationing of C-17s within the Southwest Asia theater has made it possible to shift the new airlifters into routine aerial drop missions, like their truly tactical brethren, the C-130s. For instance, C-17 aircrews stationed at Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan, routinely are flying large loads into Afghanistan and dropping them to coalition ground forces when and where needed. One C-17 crew at Manas had their airlifter loaded with supplies when it got tasked last minute to convert to a medical evacuation mission. The crew unloaded nine of 18 pallets and converted remaining space to aeromedical evac mode, transporting the recently found Maj. Jill Metzger back to the States.
‘Angry Kitten’ EW Pod Tested on Search-and-Rescue HC-130
April 17, 2026
The Air Force recently tested its “Angry Kitten” electronic warfare pod on an HC-130J during Exercise Bamboo Shield, showing the pod can turn the rescue platform into a command-and-control node and protect it from enemy radars.The tests follow what could be the pod’s first use in combat after it was…