LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. —
The 19th Airlift Wing recently participated in Exercise Razor Talon 24-1, an Agile Combat Employment focused exercise designed to test the 4th Fighter Wing’s ability to operate as a lead wing in a dynamic contested environment.
Taking place at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, Exercise Razor Talon 24-1 provided a challenging training opportunity for the 19th Airlift Wing to enhance their readiness and interoperability with other U.S. military forces. The exercise specifically focused on testing the wing’s ability to generate combat airpower while continuously moving, maneuvering, and sustaining both the wing and subordinate force elements.
Led by the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., the exercise involved a range of missions, including ACE operations, airlift operations, and personnel and cargo drops. The 19th Airlift Wing’s fleet of C-130J Super Hercules aircraft played a vital role in these operations, showcasing their versatility and capability to deliver personnel and supplies to remote locations.
Using ACE tenets, the 4th FW spent a week conducting distributed operations out of a simulated deployed environment, proving their ability to execute Integrated Combat Turns out of multiple combat locations simultaneously.
“As airlift assets, my crew was responsible for deploying and redeploying forces to and from the deployed location, as well as distribution of munitions to the combat locations to allow the F-15 Strike Eagles to expeditiously re-arm and re-fuel at forward operating locations,” said Maj. Stephen Elliott, C-130J instructor pilot.
Exercise Razor Talon 24-1 challenged the aircrews, maintenance personnel, and support staff of the 19th Airlift Wing to work together efficiently and effectively in a dynamic and contested environment. By simulating real-world scenarios, the exercise tested their ability to adapt and respond to rapidly changing situations, ensuring mission success.
“Gaining a deeper understanding of each other’s capabilities and roles was an incredibly important and beneficial aspect of RT 24-1,” Elliott said. “We proved to the 4th FW that ‘TacAir Anywhere’ means we have the flexibility to tactically distribute airdrop and airland cargo on a dynamic timeline to support their mission requirements, while they showcased their ability to sanitize the air picture, rapidly re-fuel and re-arm from forward operating locations, and then swiftly get back into the fight.”
