'Not an easy feat': How does the SAF drop critical supplies from the sky?
When soldiers are at sea or hard-to-reach areas on land, how can they get supplies or equipment? The Singapore Armed Forces puts their airdrop and vertical replenishment operations to the test at Exercise Wallaby in Australia.
SHOALWATER BAY, Queensland: A call for help from soldiers on the ground makes its way to a "processing headquarters" of sorts: "We need more supplies but the roads are blocked."
Then, another request for equipment comes in – this time, from officers on a Republic of Singapore Navy ship out at sea.
That does not faze Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel. They swing into action, ready to put together and deliver supplies like water, food, ammunition, medicine, or even Land Rover vehicles via a transport aircraft or helicopter.
From rigging the load to the aircraft to certifying it airworthy and transporting it to troops on the battlefield or naval ship, the process is an integrated endeavour involving different SAF services.
This was put into action at Exercise Wallaby – the SAF’s largest unilateral overseas exercise – on Tuesday (Oct 10) at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Australia.
Some members of the media got to witness an airdrop operation – a form of aerial resupply where supplies or equipment are dropped from a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in flight to troops on the ground.
These supplies, outfitted with parachutes, can be dropped from as low as 600 feet in the air to as high as 25,000 feet.
Another form of aerial resupply is vertical replenishment, where supplies are dropped from a CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter to seamen on Navy vessels. Cargo can also be transferred from the ship to land.
The vast terrain and airspace at Shoalwater Bay Training Area, which spans about four times the size of Singapore, allows the SAF to practise airdrops more frequently with more and larger loads, said Captain Tan Hui Xin, officer commanding of the Air Terminal Company.
HOW AIRDROP OPS WORK
Airdrop operations are crucial for resupplying troops on the ground when there are land obstructions. The C-130 aircraft can also deliver supplies at significantly higher speeds over longer distances.
During an operation, aerial cargo riggers from the Army’s Air Terminal Company are the first ones to go to work.
They put together the supplies, strap them down, place protective padding around the cargo, attach parachutes, and make sure the cargo is ready to be in the air.
Personnel from the Republic of Air Force (RSAF)’s 122 Squadron then load the supplies onto the C-130 aircraft, before Army load inspectors and RSAF loadmasters conduct a joint airdrop inspection.
After five layers of inspection, the aircraft – manned by C-130 aircrew from the RSAF’s 122 Squadron – takes to the air, heading towards the drop zone marked out by the ground unit.
When the load drops to the ground, the unit takes the supplies to troops eagerly awaiting them.
CNA's visual journalist Marcus Ramos goes on an airdrop operation
As the aircraft made a steep descent, my stomach started to churn, which almost forced my lunch out of me.
On Tuesday afternoon, I took a bumpy and nausea-inducing ride on a C-130 transport aircraft during an airdrop operation in Shoalwater Bay Training Area.
With two cameras slung on my shoulders and a GoPro strapped to my chest, I boarded the aircraft along with four other journalists, feeling confident as I'm not usually one to shy away from thrilling rides.
Plus, I was barely fazed by the Chinook helicopter ride we took last Saturday.
The aircraft started to pick up speed on the runway to take off, and an aircrew specialist on board signaled to hold on tight. As it lifted off the ground, I could feel the whole cabin vibrate aggressively and tilt upwards, causing all of us to slide sideways in our seats.Â
The C-130 felt smooth and fairly comfortable while cruising in the air, up until the first sudden descent.
Like a rush down from the peak of a roller coaster, the g-force lasted for about five seconds. Us journalists looked at one another with nervous expressions.
This happened about three or four more times throughout the hour-long ride.Â
About 25 minutes into the flight, the aircrew signaled to us again to tell us that the ramp door at the rear of the aircraft was about to open and to get our cameras ready for the airdrop.
About three minutes after the door opened, a parachute sprung open, launching the crate of supplies out in mere seconds. One of the aircrew then guided me out of my seat towards the ramp entrance.
By the time we got there, the load had already landed on the ground - to our disappointment. But at least I eventually landed without vomiting, though one of my colleagues sitting across from me was not as lucky.
Some types of airdrop loads include GPS-guided ones that can autonomously steer to their designated drop points. Shoalwater Bay Training Area is the only place these can be tested in, because of Singapore’s limited land space.
For odd- or large-sized loads like vehicles or fuel bladders, they are strapped to a 32-feet heavy equipment platform that requires several more parachutes.
The greatest challenge faced in airdrop operations during Exercise Wallaby, said Captain Tan, is that the Air Terminal Company is in Australia for six weeks – the length of the whole exercise, which runs from Sep 7 to Oct 15.
“It’s about managing the fatigue as well as the morale of the company, but I think the important part is all our riggers actually understand the importance of this training,” she added.
HOW VERTICAL REPLENISHMENT WORKS
When it comes to vertical replenishment operations, the process is similar but even more complex.
Large, awkward cargoes that would have been difficult to transport via airdrops or other transportation methods can be transported via a CH-47 Chinook helicopter, which can take up to 11 tonnes of weight.
The load has to be prepared and rigged just like in airdrop operations.
When a load is set to be transported from ship to land, a hook-up team on the ship needs to do a dry run before the helicopter arrives, in order to ensure everything goes smoothly.
The Navy then has to coordinate with the Chinook pilot on when to fly in. Once the cargo is hooked up to the helicopter, it can lift off and transport the cargo to the designated landing zone.
Captain Angelica Kristen Yeo, a vertical replenishment flight deck officer, told reporters that the usual method of replenishing supplies and refuelling a ship can be a laborious process given that the ship has to berth.Â
During an operation, the ship has to have sufficient runway for the Chinook. A helicopter landing on a ship is "definitely not an easy feat" for the pilot either, she said.
This air-land-sea integration during Exercise Wallaby involves sea terminal operators from the Army’s Sea Terminal Company, seamen from the Navy’s 3rd Flotilla, and CH-47 aircrew from RSAF’s Oakey Detachment.
Colonel Marcel Xu, Air Director at RSAF, said that pulling off such integrated operations is a “very high-end skill set” that requires constant drilling to ensure SAF personnel across the Army, RSAF and Navy are able to “function at the highest levels of competency”.
“In Singapore, we conduct integrated operations together very constantly but on a much smaller scale … The air space here makes a fundamental difference to how we train.”
