C-130 loadmasters on a rotational deployment to Powidz AB, Poland, trained with their Polish counterparts to show the Poles how to load their C-130s for humanitarian relief missions in Iraq, according to an Aug. 18 release. “We want to be on the same page,” said Polish air force Sgt. Hieronim Chabras, 33rd Transportation Air Base C-130E loadmaster. “It is good to go over this training together before a mission like this,” he said. The Air Force has been airdropping food and aid supplies to refugees in Iraq fleeing the savagery of Islamist terrorists. “Mass container delivery airdrops are one of the most effective ways to deliver combat and non-combat supplies and equipment,” said SrA. Chelsea Sirmans, a joint airdrop inspector with the 86th Operational Support Squadron. Sirmans is one of the airmen deployed to Powidz from Ramstein AB, Germany. “It’s how we get the bullets, beans, and bandages to the people who need them most, as quickly as possible,” she said. The Poles fly older C-130E airplanes, while the Ramstein airmen operate newer C-130Js.
Navy CCA Program’s Shape Coming into Focus
Oct. 17, 2025
In announcing its Navy Collaborative Combat Aircraft contract, General Atomics has provided some clues as to where the service is heading with its version of an armed, autonomous fighter escort. It will likely be quite different from the Air Force version.
