Episode 96

21st Airlift Squadron

200 Feet AGL, 35 Miles Southeast Taechon, DPRK

“Yeee HAW! This is flying!”

Like most pilots, Captain James relished low-level flying. Unlike most transport aircraft, the C-17 was specifically designed for this mission profile and was very agile for such a large plane.

His co-pilot Lieutenant Clark was less enthusiastic. “Terrain. Up three hundred.”

“Relax, it’s just like beggar’s canyon back home.”

“Did you just drop a Star Wars reference on me?”

“Um, yeah.”

“You know that movie came out before I was born, right?”

“Same. Gotta love it though.”

“Just fly the plane.”

James smothered a grin under his mask. He wasn’t certain if his command style met with the approval of his commanding officer, but he felt better knowing that his co-pilot was relaxed enough to razz him instead of stressing over the mission profile.

To be fair, it was a stressful mission. Flying low down like this wasn’t really “safe” by the civilian definition of the word. However, for the air force, it was considered a “calculated risk” since flying into a combat zone wasn’t exactly safe either. Because the DPRK air force had been largely eliminated, the real threat to the C-17’s under James’ command was from unidentified SAM sites. Down low like this, there was also the threat of smaller MANPADs but those were not really likely to be alert enough to target and shoot before they were gone. They had considered their options and decided to go in low and fast. The hilly terrain of North Korea meant that they could slink along in canyons, avoiding any ground-based radar. So far, it was working.

“Zulu Tango Oscar. This is Thrasher One One with you at thirty miles.”

“Thrasher One One, LZ is secure. Winds calm.”

Clark looked over to his co-pilot. “First combat insertion?”

“Yeah. I guess the tower is offline.”

James grunted a laugh. “I guess we’re VFR. Of course, we’re not actually going to land. Just pretend it’s a training sortie.”

Normally, when approaching a military airfield the controller would give them landing instructions, altimeter readings and etc. In a busy airspace, there would also be positive radio control (also called IFR). In a combat zone, there were none of those things. In this case, the airbase wasn’t an allied base either which made for interesting thoughts about how secure the site really was. Their only ground contact was with a “Joint Terminal Attack Controller” or JTAC. These were air force special forces troops who specialized in guiding aircraft in combat zones from the ground. Fairly normal for an A-10 pilot. Fairly unusual for a C-17 driver.

“Bill, you ready back there?”

The loadmaster answered quickly. “Ready to rock and roll.”

The Low-altitude parachute-extraction system (LAPES) had been developed in 1965 during Vietnam when they needed to get heavy equipment into areas not suitable for cargo planes. In essence, the plane would perform a very low-level pass, almost a touch and go. While at very low level, the loadmaster would deploy the cargo using a drogue parachute. The resulting force of the ‘chute would pull the cargo out the back ramp, falling to earth. This would be the first time either Clark or James had performed this particular maneuver in combat.

“OK. Let’s get the checklist.”

“LAPES checklist. Flaps?”

“Set.”

As the two pilots walked through the extensive checklist, they came around the final hill and could see the DPRK airfield in the distance. Impressively, they could also see several dozen tanks surrounding the airbase. Even from this distance, it was clear they were M-1 Abrams tanks.

“Friendlies in sight.”

“Zulu Tango Oscar, LZ in sight.”

“Copy Thrasher One One, have you in sight. Clear for LAPES.”

“Copy clear for LAPES.”

As the large cargo plane lined up on the runway, they could see flares on the ground, giving them a target. Slowly, the rear ramp opened, causing a rushing sound that could be heard even in the cockpit.

“Gear down.”

“Too high, down ten.”

This was the tricky part. Too high and the cargo would be destroyed. Too low, and they risked hitting the ground and bouncing. The runway was supposed to be pretty rough which is why they were using LAPES in the first place. They had the gear down, but unlike a “real” landing they didn’t flare the plane to drop speed. The goal was to drop the load just as they came in to “land.” The massive weight transfer would cause the plane to rise and then they would be off. That was the plan anyway.

3rd Battalion, 67th Armor

Taechon Airbase, DPRK

Hernandez watched impassively as the C-17 lined up for its drop. If this drop failed, his troops would be essentially cut off with very little fuel until he could be resupplied from North Korea by land. It wasn’t a prospect he relished. However, one thing he had learned about command is that the commander never looked worried. He worked hard to keep his face calm and impassive as the fate of his command was decided by a small group of air force pilots and airmen.

Nothing really interesting happened until the last minute. Other than having the rear ramp opened, it looked like a regular landing. Then, with the plane less than fifty feet off the deck, a parachute appeared behind the plane. Quickly, a very large pallet appeared, towed backward by the parachute. With a grinding sound, it smacked down on the tarmac, bounced once and slid to a stop. The plane’s engines screamed as the pilot pushed the throttles to the stops and the huge plane banked up and away.

Hernandez smothered a sigh. Only ten more to go.