The U.S. Air Force's 86th Airlift Wing conducted Exercise Saber Junction 26 at Ramstein Air Base, Germany from August 24-30, supporting Army and Marine Corps forces in joint airborne operations.
The exercise tested deployment capabilities and joint coordination, including distributed mission planning, patient evacuation, tactical airdrops, and airborne operations. More than 600 paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade participated in a forcible entry event that brought together Air Force C-130J and Marine Corps KC-130J Super Hercules crews.
Leading into Saber Junction, the 86th Airlift Wing conducted Exercise Agile Gateway, which included a staging event at Chievres Air Base, Belgium. The 86th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron responded to a simulated mass casualty scenario, transporting three simulated patients from Belgium to Germany by air. The patients were then transferred to a C-21A Learjet during an engine-running transfer for follow-on evacuation. Throughout the week, the squadron conducted three aeromedical evacuation training flights, exercising engine-running patient transfers, rapid alert response, and simultaneous generation of its C-21A and C-37A fleets.
Following the patient transfer operations, the 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron conducted simultaneous hot-pit refueling and engine-running operations on the C-130J, enabling rapid transfer of patients and cargo. The training demonstrated joint interoperability capabilities as crews worked through differences in terminology, procedures and aircraft capabilities before mission execution.
On August 26, the exercise reached its peak with Air Force and Marine C-130 aircraft carrying more than 600 paratroopers from Ramstein to the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany. A C-37A also supported the mission as an airborne communications node, relaying the launch command between the airborne brigade and airlift squadron.
"No single capability defines what the 86th Airlift Wing brings to the fight," said Air Force Col. Matthew Wunderlich, 86th Operations Group commander. "By integrating our mobility capabilities with the joint force, we create the flexibility commanders need to respond across the theater."