On March 26, 2003, just three days into the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 15 C-17 Globemaster III transports took off from Aviano Air Base in Italy. The Globemasters were packed to the gills with an airborne task force of the 173rd Airborne Brigade on what would be the first U.S. Army combat parachute drop since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Their destination: Harir Air Base (then called Bashur Air Base) in Northern Iraq, where they would open the northern front in the war to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The C-17s' flight path took them over the Balkans, Turkey, and then finally Iraq itself. The pilots and flight crew wore night-vision goggles—gear they had not normally trained with—to maintain formation throughout the night flight and into battle. As the train of squat, heavily laden transports neared the air base, they began an unnerving descent from a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet down to 1,000 feet at a rate of up to 4,500 feet per minute. Although the maneuver was risky, especially with the pilots seeing the world through night vision, planners believed it was necessary to avoid man-portable surface-to-air missile fire until the last possible moment. Shot down by an SA-14 missile, a single C-17 would claim the lives of more than 100 paratroopers and Air Force personnel.
At five miles from the objective, the transports leveled out, homing in on markers the pathfinders had set up. Ten transports dropped paratroopers, while another five dropped vehicles and pallets of equipment. Each paratrooper had just one second to clear the door and exit the plane while laden with a parachute and the necessary equipment, jumping into 135-knot winds. Once the drop was complete, the C-17s winged their way back to Aviano.
The next day, the brigade would air-land the rest of the 173rd Airborne's combat power, plus a task force of Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. Within five days, a force of just 12 transport planes had flown 62 missions, delivering 2,175 personnel, 3,060 tons of cargo, and 408 vehicles to Bashur. The C-17 Globemaster III had just demonstrated what made it a badass plane. |
On March 26, 2003, just three days into the U.S. invasion of Iraq, 15 C-17 Globemaster III transports took off from Aviano Air Base in Italy. The Globemasters were packed to the gills with an airborne task force of the 173rd Airborne Brigade on what would be the first U.S. Army combat parachute drop since the 1989 invasion of Panama. Their destination: Harir Air Base (then called Bashur Air Base) in Northern Iraq, where they would open the northern front in the war to topple Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The C-17s' flight path took them over the Balkans, Turkey, and then finally Iraq itself. The pilots and flight crew wore night-vision goggles—gear they had not normally trained with—to maintain formation throughout the night flight and into battle. As the train of squat, heavily laden transports neared the air base, they began an unnerving descent from a cruising altitude of 30,000 feet down to 1,000 feet at a rate of up to 4,500 feet per minute. Although the maneuver was risky, especially with the pilots seeing the world through night vision, planners believed it was necessary to avoid man-portable surface-to-air missile fire until the last possible moment. Shot down by an SA-14 missile, a single C-17 would claim the lives of more than 100 paratroopers and Air Force personnel.
At five miles from the objective, the transports leveled out, homing in on markers the pathfinders had set up. Ten transports dropped paratroopers, while another five dropped vehicles and pallets of equipment. Each paratrooper had just one second to clear the door and exit the plane while laden with a parachute and the necessary equipment, jumping into 135-knot winds. Once the drop was complete, the C-17s winged their way back to Aviano.
The next day, the brigade would air-land the rest of the 173rd Airborne's combat power, plus a task force of Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles. Within five days, a force of just 12 transport planes had flown 62 missions, delivering 2,175 personnel, 3,060 tons of cargo, and 408 vehicles to Bashur. The C-17 Globemaster III had just demonstrated what made it a badass plane. |
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