Aerial Delivery Validation

By Spc. Quontel PrinceSeptember 4, 2019

Aerial Delivary Validation
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Aerial Delivary Validation
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CAMP BUEHRING, Kuwait - Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 129th Support Battalion, Task Force Hammer, executed an aerial delivery training event to validate the joint interoperability of multicomponent U.S. Army teams and the Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) in support of Operation Spartan Shield.

Riggers with the 824th Quartermaster Detachment at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar rigged three different loads - each dropped at the Gansett Drop Zone near Camp Buehring, Kuwait, from different altitudes by a Marine Corps C-130.

Led by U.S. Army Capt. Valerie Utoaluga and U.S. Army SSG Frank Koulalis, 129th CSSB support operations section (SPO), the drop tested three different loads utilizing three different aerial delivery systems: the Low Cost Low Velocity (LCLV), the Low Cost High Velocity (LCHV), and the Joint Precision Airdrop System (JPADS). These loads simulate a tactical resupply of Class I (food and water) and Class III (fuel, oil, and lubricants) supplies.

Three drops, from 800 feet above ground level (AGL), 2,000 feet AGL, and 10,000 feet AGL successfully validated the 129th CSSB's ability to work across components and within the DoD enterprise to achieve mission success.

The aircrew aboard the C-130, riggers who packed the loads and chutes, and the ground team from 129th CSSB SPO communicated throughout the operation in seamless execution of tactical logistics. All six Container Delivery Systems (CDS) landed on target, and all six parachutes had perfect performance.

"The ability for a tactical unit to provide multiple options to the theater sustainment commander is paramount to success in this complex and dynamic environment," said Lt. Col. Eric Anderson, Task Force Hammer commander. "Any time you can add realistic training to a legitimate requirement, the benefit grows exponentially for multiple units inside the operational logistics footprint and revalidates a long-dormant system."

Bringing water, ammunition, food, or fuel to the battlefield, when needed and precisely placed, enables the sustainment of warfighters and the validates Task Force Hammer ability to accomplish commander's intent throughout the U.S. Central Command area of operations.