Late last month, according to a Dec. 11 release from McChord AFB, Wash., airmen deployed to support Operation Deep Freeze in the Antarctic airdropped 30 bundles of fuel and other supplies from a C-17 to a scientific camp at Antarctic Gamburtsev Mountain Province, one of the most remote locations on Earth. It only took the airmen three hours to deliver a load that would have taken days or weeks by other means, according to Capt. Joe O’Rourke, a 7th Airlift Squadron pilot supporting Deep Freeze. The C-17 Deep Freeze force has since made three more airdrops to the remote camp. (McChord report by SSgt. Eric Burks)
After years of experiments and tests, senior Air Force leaders say they're on the verge of using C-17s and other cargo aircraft to launch cruise missiles via airdrop, touting the development as a way to bolster the combat fleet and a major shift in the service’s mindset.