U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command Carries Out Highway Operations Exercise in Arkansas | Aviation

AFSOC’s MC-130J, AC-130J, and C-146A try their hands at operating in austere, contested environments, such as a highway used as an improvised runway.

On August 4, 2024, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command’s 1st and 492nd Special Operations Wings carried out an Agile Combat Employment (ACE) in rural Bono, Arkansas. The aircraft were participating in the Emerald Warrior 24 exercise. Emerald Warrior is described as being a “joint, combined exercise that provides realistic and relevant, high-end training to prepare special operations forces, conventional forces, and international partners in an evolving strategic environment.”

The exercise began on Arkansas’ Highway 63 with Special Tactics airmen securing the area. Once secured, a Dornier C-146A Wolfhound and Lockheed Martin MC-130J Commando II of Hurlburt Field’s 492nd Special Operations Wing touched down. The MC-130J was used to deliver Forward Area Refueling Point (FARP) equipment and personnel to later refuel an AC-130J Ghostrider of the 1st Special Operations Wing. The AC-130J landed, refueled, rearmed, and departed the area, accomplishing the ACE’s objective.

The C-146A, the Dornier 328-based airplane usually staying under the radar in Air Force circles, was used to…