Members of the 535th Airlift Squadron from JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, joined forces with the Navy’s Special Warfare Unit One from Guam to drop a 19,000-pound, rigid-hull inflatable boat from the back of a C-17 transport. Airmen utilized the maritime craft aerial delivery system, or MCADS, to dispense the boat during the January drill. “With today’s military going joint, it is essential that we merge our technologies and capabilities,” said SMSgt. Chuck Baker, plans and programs superintendent and airdrop loadmaster with Hickam’s 15th Wing. He added, “Each branch has their own specialties, but we need each other to make the overall mission a success. This is why the training in Guam was so important.” MCADS is designed to enable covert delivery of the specially designed boat without detection by enemy sensors or patrols. (Andersen report by SSgt. Mike Meares)
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…