News

RAF, USAF team up to fortify Royal Air Fleet

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  The 436th Aerial Port Squadron and Air Mobility Command Museum teamed up with Royal Air Force St. Athan's Aircraft Recovery Transportation Flight to prepare, load and airlift a set of RAF C-130 wings here Feb. 23.

The wings were transported aboard an Air Force C-5 to the United Kingdom and will be used to refurbish an operational RAF C-130 there.

The 436th APS, AMC Museum and a six-man crew on temporary duty from the RAF joined efforts in a mission to remove wings from Royal Australian Air Force C-130s at Georgetown Airport, Del., to fortify two RAF C-130s at RAF Lyneham, United Kingdom.

"The Royal Air Force C-130 fleet is currently experiencing extremely high levels of use on deployed operations," said Flight Lt. Matt Lane, C-130 Integrated Project Team officer in charge, in a telephone interview from the UK. "These wings will be used to ensure the continued life of the RAF C-130 fleet."

The RAF is modifying their fleet and replacing wings with corrosion problems, said Michael Leister, AMC Museum director.

C-130s remain paramount in worldwide air operations, stated U.S. Central Command Air Force officials. Coalition C-130 crews from the U.S. Air Force, RAF, Australia, Canada, Japan and South Korea have flown in support of either Operation Iraqi Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom.

"The C-130 Hercules is the workhorse of our Air Transportation Fleet," said Flight Lt. Lane. "We use it to carry troops and freight. In ongoing operations we use it for airborne paratroop delivery and airdrops."

The RAF C-130s are receiving an ongoing avionics, electrical and structural upgrade, he said. This will enable them to remain the workhorse of the Air Transportation Fleet into the next decade.

The aircraft is particularly valuable as it can be operated from unprepared and semi-prepared surfaces by day or by night, he added.

The project is ongoing, said RAF Chief Technician Paul Gilkes, who led the mission from his home in the UK. The wings should be fitted to a RAF C-130 toward the end of this year or early next year.

This is not the first time Dover Air Force Base has taken on a project like this one, said Chief Master Sgt. Michael Branum, 436th APS air transportation manager. The APS is involved in handling foreign military shipments on almost a daily basis as part of the foreign military sales program.

"We provide transportation support several different ways, such as channel airlift missions, special assignment airlift missions and pilot pick-up missions," said Chief Branum. "Our FMS program supported more than 30 countries last year and more than 10 countries brought their own aircraft to Dover as part of the pilot pick-up program. Also, we airlifted more than 300 FMS shipments via channel airlift."

The FMS program at Dover is one of the largest in the DoD, added Chief Branum. It is an endeavor that takes the effort of the entire base population.

"The Aerial Port Squadron handles the foreign cargo," he said. "But the FMS program is really a wing-wide mission. Transient maintenance, transportation, base operations and lodging all play critical roles in support of the program."

Although Dover's Super Port is the largest aerial port in the country and handles foreign cargo every day, the mission at hand is a first for this RAF crew.

"This is the first joint project like this with Dover Air Force Base," said Flight Lt. Lane. "Dover provided airlift support to the project and supplied space and hangar support as well."

The museum provided a staging area and assistance in contacting base organizations for clearances, said Mr. Leister. Also, the museum provided hand tools and a crane operator for the project.

Chief Technician Gilkes agreed that the project would not have worked without the combined efforts.

"Our backs were against the wall," said Chief Technician Gilkes. "Mr. Michael Leister and Mr. James Leech (AMC Museum curator) really stepped out for us on this operation. We could not have done it without them."

Mr. Leister expressed gratitude for the opportunity to assist the RAF in this operation.
"In Duxford, UK, the home of the biggest military air museum in Britain, there is a major museum called the American Air Museum," he said. "It was funded by the Royal Lottery and dedicated to American Airmen who served in Great Britain during World War II. No other country in the world, to my knowledge, has a major museum being built commemorating the troops and aircraft of another nation. It has been our honor to help the RAF."

For Dover AFB, the AMC Museum continues to provide space in support of the ongoing operation. The second set of wings is currently undergoing preparations for its trip back to the United Kingdom.