Moody Airmen supply airpower in Afghanistan

  • Published
  • By Capt. Penny Carroll
  • 451st Air Expedtionary Wing Public Affairs
KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Since their arrival at Kandahar Airfield at the end of September, members of the 75th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, deployed here from the 23rd Fighter Group, Moody Air Force Base, Ga., have proven they are integral to the application of airpower in Afghanistan.

Almost 400 Airmen deployed to the southern Afghanistan NATO base from Moody as the A-10 component of the 451st Air Expeditionary Wing, which flies numerous aircraft types supporting a variety of missions throughout the country.

"We in the A-10 community are the best CAS (close air support) players in the world. That is not arrogance, but a statement of fact, and a requirement," said Lt. Col. Derek Oaks, 75th EFS commander, describing the unit's performance in Afghanistan. "The thousands of soldiers tromping through dangerous territory who often call on us to apply lethal force within meters of their position demand that we are the best."

With more than 900 missions flown in the past few weeks, the 75th EFS and its supporting maintenance squadron have kept its planes in the air more than 4,000 hours. The "Tiger Sharks" have released more than 160 weapons in support of combat operations, and over 60,000 rounds of 30 mm ammunition from the plane's Avenger Gatling gun around which the jet is built. The unit maintains an intense 24-hour operations tempo, always ready to support ground troops when needed.

The Tiger Sharks have been to Afghanistan now at least five times, and Colonel Oaks says that in each deployment their goal is to further the efforts of NATO, the U.S., and the Afghan people.

"This time has been no different," he said, "although we have been called on to perform in critical situations quite a bit more than in the past. The aircraft, the pilots and all of the support personnel have performed magnificently. We plan on building on the Tiger Shark legacy that so many before us have entrusted us with."

The 451st AEW provides a persistent and powerful airpower presence in the Afghanistan area of operations, to include tactical airlift, close air support, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, command and control, airborne datalink, combat search and rescue, casualty evacuation and aeromedical evacuation capabilities whenever
and wherever needed.