C-141 OPERATIONS IN BRIGHT STAR 82

Randall E. Brooks

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	The Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) is a vital part of United States foreign policy. Ability to move large volumes of equipment and personnel to a trouble spot somewhere in the world, and do it in a timely manner, is the key to the success of the RDF. During Operation Bright Star 82, the Military Airlift Command dramatically demonstrated its ability to put the rapid in the Rapid Deployment Force by airlifting 360,000 pounds of equipment and 839 paratroopers from the United States to Egypt in less than 17 hours. This paper is a personal account of how six C-141 aircraft flew from Pope AFB, North Carolina to Cairo West, Egypt, dropped 600 paratroopers and proceeded to RheinMain AB, Germany non-stop, logging 19: 12 hours of flying time. The historic flight required three inflight, formation air refuelings by KC-135 Stratotankers from the Strategic Air Command. The inflight refueling procedures will be discussed along with some unique problems associated with large formation air refueling. Two of these inflight refuelings took place prior to the mass airdrop at Cairo West. Finally, the force rendezvous of 18 C-141 and 6 C-130 aircraft and the mass airdrop at Cairo West will be highlighted.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 29, Number 3
Pages:	189 - 194
Cite this article:	Brooks, Randall E., "C-141 OPERATIONS IN BRIGHT STAR 82", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 29, No. 3, Fall 1982, pp. 189-194.
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