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MAFEX 20 May 09

Capt. Joe "Geo" Monaco, 57th Weapons Squadron student and C-17 pilot with the 14th Airlift Squadron at Charleston AFB, S.C., keeps his aircraft steady as he prepares for an inflight refueling during the U.S. Air Force Weapons School Mobility Air Forces Exercise May 20 over the Nellis Test and Training Range. The MAFEX, which tested students' ability to plan and execute a large-scale joint forcible entry operation, was the culminating exercise for Captain Monaco and his fellow students with the 57th WPS and 29th Weapons Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson)

MAFEX 20 May 09

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus AFB, Okla., departs after refueling the lead C-17 during the U.S. Air Force Weapons School Mobility Air Forces Exercise over the Nellis Test and Training Range May 20. The exercise brings together mobility and combat aircraft from bases across the U.S. twice a year to practice the U.S. Army's Joint Forcible Entry Concept with a scenario similar to the D-Day Invasion and Airborn insertion of World War II. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson)

Testing mobility forces

Several C-130 Hercules prepare for takeoff May 20 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., while participating in the Mobility Air Forces Exercise. Approximately 12 U.S. Air Force bases participate in the MAFEX at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School twice a year, testing the crew ability of C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130s to join together in formation at a specific time and location to drop a brigade-size force anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nadine Y. Barclay)

Testing mobility forces

Staff. Sgt. Eric Jancaitis removes an engine intake plug May 20 in preparation for the Mobility Air Forces Exercise at Nellis AFB, Nev. He is a C-130 Hercules crew chief assigned to the 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Little Rock Air Force Base, Ark. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Larry E. Reid Jr.)

Testing mobility forces

Tech. Sgt. Joshua Hoogstra performs a preflight inspection on a C-17 Globemaster III during the Mobility Air Forces Exercise May 20 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. He is a loadmaster assigned to Headquarters Air Mobility Command at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Senior Airman Brian Ybarbo, released)

Testing mobility forces

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 97th Air Mobility Wing at Altus Air Force Base, Okla., takes off from the Tonopah runway May 20 near Nellis AFB, Nev., while participating in the Mobility Air Forces Exercise. Approximately 12 U.S. Air Force bases participate in the exercise twice a year, testing the crew ability of C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130s to join together in formation at a specific time and location to drop a brigade-size force anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Brett Clashman)

Testing mobility forces

Two C-130 Hercules participating in the Mobility Air Forces Exercise make a pass over the drop zone May 20 at the Nevada Test and Training Range near Nellis Air Force Base. Approximately 12 U.S. Air Force bases participate in the exercise at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School twice a year, testing the crew ability of C-17 Globemaster IIIs and C-130s to join together in formation at a specific time and location to drop a brigade-size force anywhere in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Taylor Worley)

Exercise tests Airmen with combat entry scenario

Published May 27, 2009
By Staff Sgt. Danielle Johnson
87th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The mission is simple, or at least it seems to be: fly into enemy territory, drop equipment, supplies and soldiers of the 82nd Airborne, followed by another airland delivery of equipment once the dirt landing strip is ready.

But just as a 100-piece jig-saw puzzle is nothing compared to one with 1,000 pieces, this mission is no walk in the park.

Students of the 29th Weapons Squadron at Little Rock, AFB, Ark., and the 57th Weapons Squadron at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., learned just how difficult a mission involving 60 or more aircraft can be during the U.S. Air Force Weapons School's Mobility Air Forces Exercise held here May 20.

"MAFEX is an opportunity for us to put a large number of aircraft together in a type of exercise that we don't normally get to do," said Maj. Joe Framptom, a 29th WPS student and C-130 pilot from the 41st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock AFB, Ark. "Any time you put more aircraft together, the problem doesn't get twice as large with twice as many aircraft - it grows exponentially. So it's a great opportunity for us to learn the capabilities of some other weapons systems and try to solve some of the problems that occur with a large operation like this."

The exercise, which is held twice a year, is the largest gathering of mobility air forces for an exercise, said Maj. Russell "Hefty" Parramore, a C-130 pilot and 29th WPS instructor and integration phase manager. The MAFEX was designed to test the students' ability to bring together both combat and mobility air assets to conduct a joint forced entry mission. It also provides all involved an opportunity to practice working with both combat air forces and mobility air forces for this type of operation, which could be compared to the D-Day invasion and Airborne insertion of World War II.

"One of the primary reasons the C-17 was designed was to execute what is called strategic brigade air drop during the first days of opening a large-scale force on the ground where airdrop is the primary means of accessing the area," said Maj. Brian Collins, 57th WPS assistance director of operations and integration phase manager.

"MAFEX is our way of practicing for that no-kidding scenario," he said. "We are taking large-scale forces of C-17s and C-130s and practicing delivering a large Army force on the ground via airdrop and airland follow-on."

During the exercise, which is a sort of culmination for the students, C-17 and C-130 air crews simulated dropping heavy equipment such as Humvees, howitzers, and containers of food supplies, medical equipment and ammunition, followed by the simulated airdrop of a large force of Army paratroopers who "will basically hit the ground running," said Major Collins.

In addition to the challenge of simply bringing a large number of mobility aircraft into formation to accomplish the airdrop and airland missions, the sorties also faced simulated threats from enemy forces. To combat these threats, an E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system and an E-8 Joint Surviellance Target Attack Radar System provided support while strike assets such as F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-15E Strike Eagles protected the aircraft.

The students have worked with instructors for four and a half months to prepare, said Major Parramore, whose role as phase manager is to make sure the learning objectives are being met. Students had four days to come up with hundreds of contingency plans for the exercise and coordinate these plans with personnel at bases across the United States before bringing the entire mission together in the air above the Nellis Test and Training Range.

"It's a pretty busy scenario and it's a lot of work without a lot of sleep or downtime, but that's the way it would probably be in real life," said Major Framptom, who is set to graduate with his fellow students in the coming weeks. "Overall, it's a good experience with a lot of ups and downs in between. I hope that we can develop some new skills and tactics that will help us do this better in real-world, and take some of these lessons back to our home units."