C-130J combat capabilities tested during Joint Training Exercise Published Aug. 25, 2006 By 1st Lt. Jon Quinlan 314th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AETCNS) -- Active duty, Reserve and Air National Guard C-130Js converged at Little Rock Air Force Base Nov. 12-19 to put the aircraft through its wartime paces during a joint training exercise with the Army at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, La. While Airmen from the 48th Airlift Squadron and 34th Combat Training Squadron conducted the joint training, evaluators from the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., evaluated the performance of the C-130Js while they flew at a high operations tempo. "The test evaluation team looked at the JRTC as an excellent platform to put the J model through its paces," said Maj. Pat Halligan, 34th CTS, JRTC mobility forces director. "(AFOTEC) will then prepare a report to continue the evaluation process for the J's tactical employment." The testing is vital to mark the official release of the C-130J's capabilities for the warfighter, but the joint training was also vital for the Airmen who work with the airframe every day. "We know the airplane really well, but we learned a lot about the specifics on how the plane interfaces in a joint environment," said Tech. Sgt. Jason Kunkel, 48th AS loadmaster. The Airmen and Soldiers learned a lot from each other during the exercise, the sergeant said. The main mission of the C-130Js during the JRTC was resupplying Army combat operations on the ground, Major Halligan said. "(The Army) goes in with a limited amount of supplies, and then it is our job to bring in what they need to sustain themselves," he said. Resupply operations were performed with C-130Js conducting combat offloads, engine running offloads, cargo air drops and dirt strip landings. An Air Force Contingency Response Group deployed from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., was also integrated with the Army in the field during the exercise, according to JRTC planners. Aircrews flew 15 sorties a day while engaged in a combat training environment. C-130Js on the ground in Fort Polk were also attacked by simulated mortar shells during one cargo offload. "The JRTC exercise is the graduation exercise for the airplane - high-mobility ops, 24-hour surge operations, and interoperability with the Army equipment and personnel generated from Little Rock," said Lt. Col. Mike Brignola, global mobility test division chief at AFOTEC. The evaluation of the C-130J, which began Oct. 25, will now move to the final phase that includes a December deployment to Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, for cold weather testing. The 34th CTS prepares Airmen for C-130 joint training. The squadron conducts more than 10 joint exercises a year focusing on complex warfighting scenarios with the Army and Air Force.