Cargo Drops on Rise in Effort to Avoid IEDs

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SPC. MICAH E. CLARE / ARMY A C-17
Globemaster III drops cargo bundles just a few hundred feet above another set floating down to coalition forces waiting below during a combat cargo drop in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 11 to support Operation Enduring Freedom.




Cargo Drops on Rise in Effort to Avoid IEDs

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 18, 2009 11:48:34 EST

The Air Force is airdropping more bullets, bottles of water and Meals, Ready-to-Eat than bombs in operations over Afghanistan and Iraq.

In the past year, airmen sent 16.6 million pounds of supplies parachuting to the ground, according to Air Forces Central — more than double the airdrop total for 2007.

At the same time, the number of bombs released decreased about 16 percent, from 5,019 to 4,220.

The Air Force doesn’t break out separate figures for airdrops over Iraq and Afghanistan, but airmen said airdrops over Iraq are rare.

Airmen involved in the airdrops said the increase is driven by several factors:

* A growing number of soldiers and Marines in Afghanistan are stationed at forward bases difficult to reach by truck even when the weather is good.

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