www.elmendorf.af.mil TM Vol. 58, No. 11 Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska March 23, 2007 Final chapter of AK C-130s PHOTO BY TECH. SGT. KEITH BROWN 2 March 23, 2007 Commentary Sourdough Sentinel History of the 517th AS Firebirds By Lt. Col. Gary Gottschall Donaldson Air Force Base, S.C., as part of the re- ACCOUNTING operating from a detachment at 517th Airlift Squadron Commander designated 64th Troop Carrier Group. The newly Yokota Air Base, Japan. outfi tted group fl ew the Fairchild C-82 until 1953, On June 21, 1998, the Firebirds deployed an 517th Airlift Squadron “Firebirds” have a long when they converted to the upgraded C-119. Dur- aircrew, maintenance, and joint air drop inspection and proud history, rich in tradition and consis- ing that summer, they fl ew joint missions support- team to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., for the tently marked by excellence. As one of fi ve fl ying ing the 82nd Airborne Division and participated biennial Air Mobility RODEO. The team dominat- squadrons assigned to the 3rd Operations Group, in Operation DOGSLED at Thule Air Force Base, ed the fi eld of competitors, excelling in all events 3rd Wing, Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, the Firebirds Greenland. The 17 TCS was inactivated July 21, and making an unprecedented sweep of all top fl y the C-130H Hercules and C-12F/J Huron. The 1954. RODEO Awards to include Best Airdrop Crew, Firebirds fl y some of the most demanding mis- The 17 TCS was reactivated October 24, 1960, Best Short Field Landing Crew, Best Airdrop sions in Alaska and have recently completed a at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, to re-supply the Wing, Best C-130 Wing, Best C-130 Aircrew, and continuous 2-year, 5-month deployment in sup- Distant Early Warning radar stations on the Green- the overall honor of Best Air Mobility Wing in the port of Operations ENDURING FREEDOM and land Ice Cap. The DEW Line relied completely on World. IRAQI FREEDOM with their C-130s. C-130D aircraft equipped with newly developed In the past decade, the Firebirds have been The present Firebirds can trace their lineage ski pads for re-supply. Within a year, the squad- engaged in worldwide operations. In 1999, the to the days prior to Pearl Harbor, when the 17th ron established its “Firebirds” title as a result of 517 AS deployed to Darwin, Australia, in sup- Transport Squadron was constituted on Nov. 20, rocket-assisted ski takeoffs on the 9,000-foot crest port of the International Forces for East Timor, 1940. The squadron was activated on Dec. 11, of the Greenland Ice Cap. On June 15, 1964, the airlifting combat soldiers, humanitarian aid 1940, fl ying C-47s from McClellan Field, Calif., Firebirds moved to Elmendorf as the only airlift workers and 400 East Timor refugees. Following as part of the 64th Transport Group. On July 4, squadron in Alaska, and in 1967 was re-designat- 9-11, the 517th was among the fi rst to respond to 1942, the squadron was re-designated as the 17th ed the 17th Tactical Airlift Squadron. From July 9, Operations NOBLE EAGLE and ENDURING Troop Carrier Squadron and prepared for war. 1969 to June 30, 1975, the squadron maintained a FREEDOM – Philippines. In August of 2004, the Originally assigned to 8th Air Force, the squadron detachment at Sondrestrom Air Base, Greenland, Firebirds began a sustained deployment in sup- was reassigned to 12th Air Force in September in conjunction with its airlift support on the Ice port of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, fl ying 1942, and became involved in Operation TORCH, Cap for radar stations and scientifi c studies of the missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, spearheading the successful thrust against the Arctic. Tajikistan and Kazakhstan. Due to the Firebirds’ German Army in the deserts of North Africa. The On Dec. 1, 1969, the 17 TAS acquired two extensive experience fl ying in mountainous ter- squadron subsequently participated in Operation C-124A Globemasters to augment its C-130 force rain, their aircrews were called on to execute some HUSKY, the invasion of Sicily. In Tunisia, the and provide support to remote Alaskan sites. challenging NVG combat airdrops and airdrop 17th helped to create the Allies’ fi rst toehold on Joining the Military Airlift Command on March humanitarian supplies to earthquake victims in the European continent. 31, 1975, the 17 TAS converted to conventional Pakistan. On April 1, 1943, the 64th Transport Group C-130E aircraft, and in 1987 they upgraded to the In January of 2005, the Firebirds were among was ordered to the China-Burma-India Theater to more modern and powerful C-130H aircraft which the fi rst responders to Southeast Asia in support of supply “Merrill’s Marauders” and 170,000 Brit- they fl ew to support long-range radar sites, with Operation UNIFIED ASSISTANCE, moving 822 ish troops besieged at Imphal, India. Historians daily missions to challenging one-way landing tsunami refugees and over half a million pounds believe that the efforts of the 17 TCS and the 64th airfi elds located on mountainsides or icy runways of humanitarian supplies. Later in 2005, the Fire- Transport Group shortened the war in Burma by on the Northern Alaskan coastline. birds moved from their OEF forward operating as much as two years. In mid-June 1944, the 64th The squadron was re-designated the 517th location and began supporting Operation IRAQI Transport Group moved back to Sicily, where it Airlift Squadron on April 1, 1992, becoming a FREEDOM, fl ying missions throughout Iraq as prepared for Operation DRAGOON, the invasion subordinate unit of the 3rd Operations Group and well as Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Leb- of southern France. The 64th dropped thousands acquiring a C-12 detachment. In 1997, the 517 anon and East Africa. After sustaining 29 months of paratroopers and towed gliders which delivered AS would nearly double in size growing from 11 of continuous deployment in support of OEF and materiel and troops to the fi ght on the ground. In to 18 C-130H aircraft, becoming the largest fl y- OIF, the fi nal Firebird C-130 combat mission was May 1945, the 17 TCS moved from Naples, Italy ing squadron in Pacifi c Air Forces and the larg- conducted on Jan. 3, 2007 and all personnel were to Waller Field, Trinidad, British West Indies, est operational C-130 squadron in the Air Force. redeployed home. where it was inactivated on July 31, 1945. The squadron was called to support Operation The squadron will transition from C-130s to C- On July 3, 1952, the squadron reactivated at VOLANT SHOGUN and Joint Task Force-FULL 17s on April 13, 2007 with a change of command. C-130 factsheet Capacity: 92 passengers or 64 airborne troops or 74 litter patients Range without cargo: 4,522 nm (5,200 mi) with 2 medical personnel Range with cargo: 2,050 nm (2,360 mi) Payload: 45,000 lb, including 2-3 Humvees or an M113 Armored Service ceiling: 33,000 ft Personnel Carrier Maximum usable fuel: 60,000 lb Length: 97 ft 9 in Maximum allowable cabin load: 36,000 lb Wingspan: 132 ft 7 in Maximum number of pallets: 5 Height: 38 ft 3 in Unit cost: $22.9 million (1992 dollars) Wing area: 1,745 ft² More than 500 units in total force Empty weight: 83,000 lb Useful load: 72,000 lb Capable of short takeoffs and landing from unprepared runways Max takeoff weight: 155,000 lb (170,000 lb during wartime) Primary Function: Intratheater airlift Powerplant: 4× Allison T56-A-15 turboprops, 4,300 shp Contractor: Lockheed Aeronautical Systems Company Maximum speed: 329 knots (379 mph) The “Hercules” family has the longest continuous production run Cruise speed: 292 knots (336 mph) of any military aircraft in history. 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