Watch This USAF AC-130J Ghostrider Land on an Arkansas Highway
USAF Lands AC-130J Gunship on Arkansas Highway189th Airlift Wing
There aren’t a lot of reasons why I wouldn’t be mad to sit in traffic. If I had to throw a list together, though, I’d say waiting for a U.S. Air Force AC-130 gunship to land on the pavement ahead of me would be pretty high on the list.
On August 4th, members of the 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas National Guard as well as a crew from the USAF’s 1st Special Operations Wing operating under the directive of Air Force Special Operations Command took part in a training exercise that involved landing multiple varieties of C-130 aircraft on a closed-off stretch of Highway 63 in Bono, Arkansas as part of Operation Emerald Warrior, which aims to prepare aircrews for rapid deployments to non-traditional locations. And luckily for the aviation geeks among us, it was all caught on camera.
The key portion of the exercise involved a heavily-armed AC-130J Ghostrider gunship from the 1st Special Operations Wing landing, refueling, and taking off from the highway all in a short period of time. Thanks to the help of the crews of a C-146A Wolfhound and an MC-130J Commando II from the 492nd Special Operations Wing, the AC-130J crew was able to refuel directly from the MC-130J, rearm as if it were in a combat situation, and get back in the air quickly during the mock mission.
“This demonstrates to our adversaries that we can meet them anytime, any place, anywhere, without the need for traditional runways to project air power,” said Colonel Patrick Dierig, commander of the 1st Special Operations Wing.
Hurlburt Field
Numerous state agencies were involved in this mission as well, including the Arkansas Department of Transportation, Arkansas State Police, Craighead County Sheriff and Lawrence County Sheriff.
The 189th Airlift Wing mission is focused on practicing humanitarian and disaster relief in areas with non-traditional runway surfaces. The aircrews managed to log multiple landings and takeoffs from the 5,000-foot stretch of four-lane highway during its closure.
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“This exercise validated our proof of concept as a capability,” said Col. Jay Geaney, Arkansas Air National Guard director of staff and a C-130H pilot on the Wing’s Facebook page. “I’m proud of our team that planned, coordinated, and executed this training.”
Arkansas State Police
Nearly every branch of the U.S. Military operates some variant of Lockheed Martin’s quad-prop C-130 — and for good reason. The turboprop aircraft has been in service for nearly 70 years, remaining relevant well into the 21st Century thanks to its durability and broad spectrum of capabilities; while originally designed as a cargo carrier, C-130 models have been modified for a wide variety of duty, including meteorological study, in-air refueling, electronic warfare and — in the case of the AC-130 versions — fire support for troops on the ground using autocannons, howitzers and missiles.
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