MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- The aircraft banked in and out of the Arizona canyons and in between mountainous terrain while flying at high speeds approximately 300 feet above the earth. The pilots made high-stress turns handling the aircraft like an F/A-18 “Hornet”, but the large shadow the aircraft projected on the desolate terrain clearly resembled a KC-130J “Super Hercules”.
Marines from Marine Aerial Refueling and Transportation Squadron 352 “Raiders” conducted Low Altitude Tactics exercises March 3, to refresh pilots and aircrew on handling an aircraft in low terrains.
“We do the training so pilots and aircrew become comfortable flying in a low-level environment,” said Capt. Ross Holman, an aircraft commander with VMGR-352. “The tactic is a threat avoidance option to avoid radar and detection.”
Pilots keep the aircraft as close to the terrain as safely possible to limit visual and radar detection by “hiding” behind mountains, hills and inside canyons.
LATs help mask heat signatures from surface-to-air missiles and dangers from small-arms fire by putting terrain in between the aircraft and the threat, explained Holman. Although the aircraft is lower to the ground and closer to small-arms fire, the enemy has less time to acquire friendly positions and react, he added.
The exercises also prepare aircrews to perform faster and safer airdrop resupply missions in Afghanistan.
“If we’re dropping food, water, fuel or ammunition to the Marines in Afghanistan, there are less trucks hitting [improvised explosive devices] and less helicopters taking small-arms fire,” said Holman. “It also frees up other units, like helicopters for [casualty evacuations].”
The pilot and co-pilot navigated the hill tops and canyons for nearly an hour as four Marines watched out windows on each side for terrain and other aircraft. The shadow from the Super Hercules shrank as the aircraft rose into the clouds to head home as the aircrew was now better prepared to get in and out of dangerous situations as quickly and safely as possible.