Embassy of the United States of America
Colombo
PRESS RELEASE
Colombo, September 18: The United States and Sri Lanka conducted the Pacific Airlift Rally, a biennial exercise, from September 11 to 15, 2017. The Pacific Airlift Rally brought together participants from the United States, Sri Lanka, and other Indo-Asia-Pacific nations for an airborne training exercise that focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. Participants practiced mission planning, cargo handling and loading, and air-land and airdrop operations.
The Indo-Asia-Pacific region is home to 60 percent of the world’s population in 36 nations spread across 53 percent of the Earth’s surface, and the majority of the world’s natural disasters occur in this area. Experience has demonstrated that in order to effectively provide support to civilian disaster response agencies, it is extremely important that nations cooperate and improve joint capabilities.
One U.S. Air Force C-130J Hercules from the 815th Airlift Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi and one C-130J from the 327th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas joined airlift aircraft from Sri Lanka and Australia for the flight training portion of the exercise. They practiced airlift techniques that would be executed during a real-world humanitarian assistance operation.
Sri Lanka previously co-hosted the Pacific Airlift Rally in August of 2011, during which participants worked on a tropical cyclone scenario.
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Image 1: U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules participating in the exercises of the Pacific Airlift Rally 2017. U.S. and Sri Lanka Air Forces co-hosted the biennial Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise in Sri Lanka Sept. 11-15, 2017.
Image 2: U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules participating in the exercises of the Pacific Airlift Rally 2017. U.S. and Sri Lanka Air Forces co-hosted the biennial Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise in Sri Lanka Sept. 11-15, 2017.
Image 3: Military members from the U.S. and 12 nations in the Indo-Asia-Pacific area visit a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules at Sri Lanka Air Force Base Katunayaka Sept. 12, 2017, as part of Pacific Airlift Rally 2017. U.S. and Sri Lanka Air Forces co-hosted the biennial Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise in Sri Lanka Sept. 11-15, 2017.
Image 4: Lt. Col. Mark Sukow, a U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules pilot with the 815th Airlift Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, participates in Pacific Airlift Rally 2017.
Image 5: U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules crews from the 815th Airlift Squadron, Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, and the 327th Airlift Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, Arkansas, fly with pilots from the Sri Lanka Air Force Sept. 12, 2017, as part of Pacific Airlift Rally 2017. U.S. and Sri Lanka Air Forces co-hosted the biennial Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise in Sri Lanka Sept. 11-15, 2017.The event is a command post and flying training exercise with a focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Image 6: U.S. and Sri Lanka Air Forces co-hosted the biennial Pacific Air Forces-sponsored exercise in Sri Lanka Sept. 11-15, 2017.The event is a command post and flying training exercise with a focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.