Page 8 - AirShow_RemembranceBook

ANATOMY OF AN AIR DROP

WHAT IS AN AIRDROP?

air•drop [air-drop]:

verb, air•dropped Airdrops are performed for a variety of reasons.
1. to drop (persons, equipment, etc.) by Airdrops can provide supplies to remote bases
parachute from an aircraft in flight. without nearby runways, they can drop troops
noun, air•drop•ping
2. the act or process of airdropping. to infiltrate enemy territory or provide rescue,
they can drop informational leaflets, and they

can even provide humanitarian aid. An airdrop
can be performed by several different Air Force

cargo planes and support our sister services or
WHAT DO allied nations.
THEY CARRY? Usually C-130s have only one

There are three different categories loadmaster but during airdrops
of things that can be dropped from a there are two. The loadmaster
has different jobs depending
C-130: heavy equipment, container on the drop, but is responsible
delivery systems and people. for getting the cargo out of the
plane and dealing with potential
emergencies.

Heavy Equipment (HE) can weigh up to 42,000 lbs
and can be anything that fits on the 32 ft long
platform. Examples of HE that can be dropped
include Humvees, forklifts, small armored vehicles,
and mass amounts of supplies. In addition, HE can Container Delivery Systems (CDS) are smaller airdrop loads used
be launched off smaller platforms of 8 ft. and 16 ft. more often than HE drops. CDS are placed on small wooden
in length. The plane can carry three 8 ft. platforms or skid boards 4ft. by 4 ft. or 4ft. by 8 ft., with up to 16 skids (20
two 16 ft. platforms in one drop. skids for the J-model) per drop. Each wooden skid can hold up to
2,328 lbs. of supplies. Ammunition, food, fuel as well as A.T.V.s,
motorcycles and inflatable boats can be dropped as a CDS.

8 2012 lrafb air show | remembrance book