KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea –
Members of the 353rd Special Operations Group visited Kunsan Air Base in support
of the Special Operations Command Korea Exercise Gryphon Knife from Feb. 23 to
March 3, 2015.
Exercise Gryphon Knife is a habitual training exercise
designed to integrate partners from the ROK Special Warfare Command and U.S.
special operations forces components to increase combined and joint special
operations capabilities.
Airmen stationed out of Kadena Air Base, Japan,
routinely travel to Republic of Korea to train new crews and enhance
interoperability through combined training exercises led by
SOCKOR.
However, this was the first time the unit flew the new MC-130J
Commando II to the ROK.
The Commando II primarily flies missions at
night to reduce probability of visual acquisition and intercept by airborne
threats. Its secondary mission includes troop drops and airdrops.
Leaders
used this opportunity to assess the handling and capabilities of the new
aircraft in the challenging Korean terrain and sustain crew and aircraft
readiness in support of SOCKOR and the ROK/U.S. Alliance.
"This is a
very unique mission," said Lt. Col. Matthew Bartlett, 17th Special Operations
Squadron director of operations. "Primarily since our aircraft is new, and our
crew is new to operating both in the Pacific as well as operating in Korea, we
wanted to familiarize ourselves with operating in the Korean peninsula as well
as familiarize ourselves with our customers we supported for this
mission."
In December 2014, the first MC-130J arrived at the 353rd
Special Operations Group at Kadena AB, replacing the retiring MC-130P Combat
Shadows assigned to the 17th Special Operations Squadron.
The MC-130J
Commando II multi-mission combat transport/special operations tanker, assigned
to the Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), delivers increased combat
performance to the warfighter with its more powerful engines and unique
features.
"The future for us looks pretty bright," said Staff Sgt.
Christopher Tanner, 353rd Special Operations Aircraft Maintenance Squadron
MC-130J crew chief. "We have a lot of contingency exercises and plans in the
future that will go a lot smoother using this new aircraft."
The MC-130J
crew conducted specialized training while on mission here to the
ROK.
"One of our missions was to conduct night vision low levels," said
Bartlett. "The mountainous terrain in Korea made that pretty challenging, so you
have to do quite a bit of planning for that type of mission."
Airmen from
the 353rd Special Operations Group look forward to flying and familiarizing
themselves with the new MC-130J Commando II.
"The increased range and
reliability of this aircraft is amazing," said Master Sgt. Justin Solis, 353rd
Special Operations Maintenance Squadron production superintendent. "Not only
does the MC-130 make our job easier, but every Airman involved can operate more
efficiently."