Will Assist In Treatment Of A Civilian At Amundsen-Scott
Station
Airmen with the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron in
Christchurch, New Zealand, airdropped urgently needed medical
supplies September 1 at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in
Antarctica. The supplies will augment a South Pole medical team's
treatment of an ailing civilian wintering there with the U.S.
Antarctic Program
C-17 Globemaster File
Photo
Although accessible by ski-equipped aircraft during the summer
season, extreme cold winter temperatures ranging between 70 and 80
degrees below zero, plus continual darkness and strong winds, rule
out traveling 800 miles overland and prohibit landing any aircraft
at the pole during the winter. South Pole physicians and staff must
therefore handle all medical emergencies themselves.
Upon learning that one the staff members at South Pole required
additional medical supplies, the National Science Foundation, which
is the lead agency for the U.S. Antarctic Program, formally
requested help from its inter-agency partner, Joint Task
Force-Support Forces Antarctica. Lt. Gen. Stanley T. Kresge, the
commander of both 13th Air Force and JTF-SFA, based at Joint Base
Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, called upon his attached C-17
Globemaster III forces, deployed from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA,
to provide a solution.
The solution: a parachute-enabled C-17 air-drop of medical
supplies in bitter cold and complete darkness using night-vision
devices. Although JTF-SFA plans for such missions and trains for
this requirement during the summer season, this is the first time a
C-17 has attempted a mid-winter, nighttime air-drop at the South
Pole, according to officials.
Lt. Col. Robert Wellington, the commander of the 304th EAS,
assigned C-17 weapons and tactics instructor pilot Maj. Rick Kind
to plan the mission. Wellington, Kind and the JTF-SFA team worked
closely with NSF planners to execute the mission. The typical
Operation Deep Freeze mission consists of a 4 1/2-hour flight from
Christchurch to McMurdo, with only one hour on the ground before
returning to New Zealand. By being able to combine missions, the
C-17 crew simply added the 2 1/2-hour flight over the South Pole
after the routine stop at McMurdo. Once over the South Pole, the
crew released two parachute-supported 200-lb bundles of supplies
before heading back to Christchurch.
"During the winter, the only option was to airdrop supplies in,"
said Lt. Col. Edward Vaughan, Operation Deep Freeze's interim
director of joint operations. "Rapid global mobility is one of the
Air Force's core capabilities in supporting the joint military
team. Year-round airdrop at the South Pole is one of the specific
capabilities that the 304th EAS brings to JTF-SFA operations."
Air Force Photo
Since the South Pole has 24 hours of darkness during the polar
winter, the use of night-vision goggles was essential for the
mission, officials said. Scheduling the delivery around daylight
was not a factor. "The complex mission, utilizing NVGs to first
land at McMurdo and then later acquire the South Pole drop zone,
exploited the unique capability of the aircraft and validated the
operational procedures developed and the training accomplished over
the last several ODF Seasons," Wellington said. "It was the first
C-17A winter airdrop at the pole and presents a stellar example of
inter-agency cooperation."
According to Kevin Schriner, an NSF contractor and network
administrator at the South Pole, the air drop was a complete
success. Both packages were dropped and recovered without
damage.