The Air Force announced on the 2nd that it will participate in the Christmas Air Drop Operation hosted by the U.S. Pacific Air Forces from the 7th to the 14th. The Christmas Air Drop Operation involves delivering relief supplies such as medicine, clothing, and daily necessities to over 10 islands in the Micronesia region south of Guam. These supplies are dropped from about 60 meters altitude using parachutes.
The operation began in 1952 as a means to airlift essential goods to island residents in the Micronesia region where there are no airfields. The U.S. Air Force carries out this operation every December.
The Korean Air Force has been participating since 2021. This year, the 5th Air Mobility Wing will send one C-130 transport plane and approximately 30 crew members, including pilots, mechanics, and support personnel. They are set to take off from Gimhae Air Base and arrive at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, which will serve as the operation’s staging ground.
Major Han Yoon-hee, head of the Air Force operations team from the 251st Airlift Squadron, expressed, “Participating in this humanitarian operation to directly deliver necessary supplies to residents of remote islands at the end of the year, representing Korea, is meaningful. We will thoroughly prepare to perform the mission safely and flawlessly to enhance Korea’s national prestige and elevate the status of our Air Force as a member of the international community.”