The Air Force’s in-demand C-130 tactical airlifters are making vital weekly runs to three remote contingency operating locations in the Horn of Africa, calling the missions HOA Flex. The C-130s and their crews are based in Southwest Asia but deliver people, food, water, and other supplies to two sites in Ethiopia and one in Kenya, an area about two-thirds the size of the US. Since the missions started in May 2006, the C-130s have delivered more than 3.5 million pounds of cargo and some 2,400 people, landing on dirt and crushed rock airstrips.
The Air Force displayed all the firepower it has amassed on Okinawa in an unusually diverse show of force this week. IIn a May 6 “Elephant Walk,” Kadena Air Base showcased 24 F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters, eight F-15E Strike Eagles; two U.S. Army Patriot anti-missile batteries near the runway; and…