Photo By Staff Sgt. Anne Henry | Lance Cpl. Christopher Ryan and Lance Cpl. Jonathan Mullins conduct maintenance on an...... read more read more
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CLARK AIR FIELD, Philippines - Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172 conducted field arrestment training at Clark Air Field, Pampanga, Republic of the Philippines, Sept. 25 as part of Amphibious Landing Exercise 2014.
The training showed the versatile capabilities possessed by the Marines of squadron, which is part of Marine Wing Support Group 17, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing.
During field arrestment, F/A-18s catch a cable and stop in less than 1,000 feet, said Sgt. Jacob W. Forston, the production patrol chief and expeditionary airfield service technician with MWSS-172.
The Marines used an arresting gear system, which serves as an anchor and liquid break for a landing F/A-18, according to Lance Cpl. Christopher Ryan, an expeditionary airfield service technician with the unit.
“We have eytholine glycol inside the tank with a tape that pulls and two fans which serve as a liquid break,” said Ryan. “They are held down by an anchoring system, so that when the plane lands none of the gear will move anywhere.”
The training was conducted smoothly because everything throughout the process was set up and maintained correctly, according to Forston.
“The force and weight of the aircraft can shift the gear in the slightest bit,” said Forston. “These ropes are made out of Kevlar making them very strong. After every arrest, we tighten the turn buckles in order to keep the tension.”
Setting up the gear took the Marines approximately 15 hours, according to Forston, not only giving the Marines an opportunity to refresh on their own abilities, but also showing the capabilities possessed by the squadron, he added.
“Our arresting gear can be flown anywhere making it very versatile,” said Forston. “We can go to any airfield in the world and have this gear installed in less than two days.”
The training taught the new Marines about something not all of them were familiar with, according to Forston.
“The Marines working out here today received a lot of experience from this training,” said Forston. “Many of them have not had the opportunity use this equipment. Now they have set it up, understand how to use it, and when to use it in the future.”
This training is just part of the activities taking place during PHIBLEX 14. During the exercise, U.S. Marines and sailors from the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 3d Marine Expeditionary Brigade and III Marine Expeditionary Force, are partnering with their Armed Forces of the Philippines counterparts during field training, humanitarian and civic assistance projects and a staff planning exercise. Bilateral training during PHIBLEX 14 ensures Philippine and U.S. forces are capable of integrating effectively to conduct humanitarian assistance and regional security missions.
The day of training left the Marines confident in their abilities as well as showed the versatility of the squadron.
“Today shows what we have in our toolbox. Other services may have this capability, but none of them could rapidly install it as fast as we do,” said Forston. “We want to show the squadron what we are here for, and we want our pilots to feel safe in the air while they are operating.”
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2013 22:57 |
| Story ID: | 114454 |
| Location: | CLARK AIR FIELD, PAMPANGA, PH |
| Web Views: | 210 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Aviation Marines show off versatility during PHIBLEX 2014, by SSgt Anne Henry, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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