Among the myriad tasks accomplished by airmen in support of the Haiti relief mission since it began on Jan. 13 are five airdrops of supplies directly to the rescue and recovery forces on the ground there. The most recent airdrop missions occurred on Jan. 23 with two C-130 transports flying in tandem and also one C-17, an Air Mobility Command spokeswoman told the Daily Report Monday. They built upon the first two airdrops which occurred on Jan. 18 and Jan. 21, both with C-17s operating out of Charleston AFB, S.C. The spokeswoman said more airdrops are an option “still on the table,” if needed. The airdrops are a means of relieving the burden on the Port au Prince airport, which has been the principal access route in Haiti since the devastating Earthquake on Jan. 12. (Includes Davis-Monthan report by TSgt. Eric Petosky)
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.