Expeditionary Airlift Unit Expands Portfolio

The 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, a C-130 unit, recently added another accomplishment to its resume: delivering supplies via airdrop to ground troops in Afghanistan. “By accomplishing this task, we validated a concept that increases the airdrop capability throughout the entire theater,” said Lt. Col. Ken Gjone, a 737th EAS operations officer. The busy squadron is part of the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing that operates at an undisclosed air base in Southwest Asia. Although the wing has been operating for more than 10 years, its airlifters had never performed airdrop missions over Afghanistan. That changed on Nov. 21 and Nov. 24 when 737th EAS aircrews flew over that nation’s mountains and released more than 46,000 pounds of cargo, validating this delivery method. Prior to this, the 386th AEW’s airlift support in Afghanistan has been limited to landing at airfields to deliver cargo. (386th AEW report by SSgt. Stefanie Torres)