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U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Louder blows bubbles for the children at the Ramakrishna Ashrama Boys and Girls Orphanage.
Photo by TSgt. Keith Brown, USAF |
Airmen Visit an Orphanage
The USAF participants in COPE INDIA donated money, clothing, toiletries, medicine, and toys to the Ramakrishna Ashrama Boys and Girls Orphanage, which is also a center for disabled children. Numerous U.S. airmen spent part of a day with the orphanage’s children during a weekend break in flying operations. “It was very rewarding. It’s the same feeling you get back in the U.S. when you contribute to a good cause, especially for the kids,” said USAF Capt. Richard Steele. “They just want someone to love them a little bit.”
Conclusion
COPE INDIA 2004 sharpened IAF and USAF air combat skills, improved procedures for sustained operations, and enhanced interoperability. The exercise also strengthened and broadened the bonds developed between the IAF and USAF during the first COPE INDIA in 2002, which involved airlift operations, and during exercise Cooperative COPE THUNDER 2003-3 in Alaska, in which an IAF IL-76 aircraft participated. The interaction between the two air forces will continue as IAF airmen deploy to Alaska for Cooperative COPE THUNDER 2004-4 in the summer of 2004.
By 1st Lt. Eric Badger, USAF
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U.S. Air Force personnel secure the Mobile Aircraft Arresting System (MAAS) cable at Gwalior Air Force Station. The MAAS ensures U.S. aircraft land safely in the event of an emergency.
Photo by TSgt. Keith Brown, USAF |
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During COPE INDIA 2004, a U.S. Air Force (USAF) Mobile Aircraft Arresting System (MAAS) barrier technician team worked to ensure that if any U.S. aircraft developed an emergency, it could land safely. The arresting system weighs about 18,000 pounds (8,100 kilograms) and connects to a 153-foot-long (46 meters) steel cable that the team stretches across the runway about 60 seconds before every takeoff. The cable runs through two long metal boxes on each side of the runway, allowing aircraft to land from either direction. With the boxes, the MAAS can withstand 50,000 pounds (22,500 kilograms) and 180 knots (331 kilometers) of pressure up to 1,200 feet (364 meters). Without the boxes, the MAAS can support a maximum of 40,000 pounds (18,000 kilograms) and 180 knots (331 kilometers) of pressure. The MAAS is secured into the ground by metal stakes about 5-feet long (150 centimeters) that weigh 25 pounds (11 kilograms) each. The entire system takes about 24 hours to set up. “We drill 156 individual stakes into the ground to secure the MAAS,” said USAF SSgt. Robert Roe. “It takes two to five minutes to drill each stake.”
During an emergency, the pilot of the endangered aircraft lowers an aircraft tail hook designed to catch the cable. “Any time an aircraft can’t stop itself safely, we’re involved,” said USAF MSgt. Sonny Gomez. “From hydraulic and system failures, not enough fuel to land, to no brakes, we ensure the pilot and the aircraft get back to us in good shape.”
Since the IAF uses a different safety system, involving a huge nylon net that engulfs the nose and wings of an aircraft, the MAAS team removes the cable when IAF aircraft launch or recover. “[The U.S.] barrier system is in some ways similar to ours, simple in construction and easy to dismantle,” said Jr. WO D. P. Singh. “This exercise has proven itself to be highly beneficial for both forces to learn from each other.” |
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