U.S. sending Ospreys, Hueys and other aircraft to Nepal
The U.S. is sending more aircraft to Nepal to fly relief supplies from Kathmandu to refugees in need, defense officials said on Saturday.
The Marine Corps is sending four MV-22 Ospreys and two KC-130 cargo aircraft to Nepal, said Maj. Christopher Logan, a spokesman for Marine Forces, Pacific. Three UH-1Y Huey helicopters are being flown to Nepal in Air Force C-17s, he said.
The Ospreys are from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 262
based out of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma in Okinawa, Japan, according to Marine Forces, Pacific. The UH-1Ys are from Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 469. They are now at Futenma but their home station is Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. The two KC-130s are with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan.
Stars and Stripes has reported that 150 service members will be involved with relief efforts, but Logan told Military Times on Saturday that is too early to say how many military personnel will be on the ground because the mission's requirements are still being determined.
U.S. Pacific Command is working with the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development and other U.S. agencies to respond quickly to requests for help from Nepal's government, he said.
The additional aircraft are expected to arrive in Nepal "hopefully, here, in the next few days," depending on a number of factors, including the space available at the airport in Nepal, Logan said.
One C-17 is expected to depart this weekend for Nepal carrying one UH-1Y, a tow bar, tow truck, generators, support equipment and 36 passengers, Air Force Spokesman Lt. Col. Christopher Karns said.
Other C-17s have been placed on alert, Karns told Military Times on Saturday. Those aircraft come from both Air Mobility Command and Pacific Air Forces.
"The Air Force is always postured and ready to provide support as required," Karns said in an email to Military Times. "The Air Force's global reach provides a critical capability and speaks volumes about our values as a nation and Air Force."
Two Air Force C-17s, one from Dover and the other from Charleston, have already flown rescue personnel and cargo to Nepal, and a C-130H from the 374th Airlift Wing in Yokota, Japan, transported a 20-person humanitarian team to Nepal: 17 Marines, two airmen and one soldier, officials said.
"The Air Force has a unique capability to deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capability across the globe," Karns said in email. "The presence of C-17s and the C-130H hopefully provides a bit of comfort and reassurance to those in need."