ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE BASE TINDAL, Australia -- Marines from Marine Aerial Refeuler Transport Squadron 152 and Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 conducted assault landing zone training at the Delamere Range Facility, as part of Exercise Southern Frontier, Sept. 8.
The ALZ training permits the KC-130 Hercules pilots, and the Marines on the ground, to master the short-field landings.
The training is important because in combat zones it may be the only way for ground troops to receive supplies, said Sgt. Julien L. Russell, MWSS-172 expeditionary airfield systems technician and native of Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas.
"This is one of the mission essential tasks to provide that logistics support. You can imagine any scenario where a short-field landing can be prepared. Where we can come in, land, provide fuels and supplies to any unit that may need support," explained Capt. Karl T. Schmidt, VMGR-152 aircrew training officer and native of Havelock, N.C. "Any time you re-supply you are extending the reach to any of our Marine Corps units to push farther into whatever they are doing."
The expeditionary airfield systems technicians nailed red day-marker panels into the dirt runway to mark the bull's-eye, and orange day-marker panels every 500 feet afterwards, to guide the pilots when they touch down.
The Marines experienced a hard time nailing down the day markers because of the clay-like red ground. "The dirt is unforgiving right here," shrugged Russell.
Once the runway was ready it was time for the pilots to attempt touch-and-go landings.
"The pilots are going to come in and try to land in the bull's-eye, the red panels," said Russell as he pointed to the day-marker panels. "It's going to look kind of scary as they come in because they are going to come in from the side, sharp. They are going to look like they are coming at you."
After the pilot makes a touch-and-go landing, the Marines on the ground spot it and mark down whether it was a bull's-eye or not. They then radio the results to the pilot.
"It's always challenging as a pilot to go (land) in a field of that size, to get that aircraft down in the first 500 feet of runway," said Schmidt. "It's challenging but I think we will all rise to it."
The unpaved runway is only 3,500 feet long and 60 feet wide, which is very small runway, said Russell.
The size of the runway is not the only challenge the pilots will face while conducting ALZ training in Australia. The pilots will also train at night and use 'peanut lights', or small infra-red markers, to guide them.
Schmidt explained, the challenges will only help them improve their capabilities.
"We look forward to it, just because we get to hone our skills. We get outside our comfort zone and see how the aircraft can perform. The KC-130 is a great aircraft and it can do a lot of things, said Schmidt. "This one of the advantages that it has, these short-field landings that we are capable of doing."