Seeing A C-17 Airdrop Humvees Is Absolutely Surreal

This Is How It’s Done!

This video was shot by Staff Sgt. Daniel Delgado in late 2010. As part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Public Affairs, this impressive video shows the flawlessness and pure efficiency of the United States Air Force. There were two C-17 Globmaster IIIs involved and the exercise was to effectively airdrop 8 Humvees and 100 infantrymen.

C-17 Globmaster IIIs are built by Boeing, making their first flight in 1991 and were then introduced into service just four years later.

As you’ll see, everything went according to plan. All the crew of the 517th Airlift Squadron performed their duties in an excellent manner, tying down and balancing the Humvees for a proper exit. After that, the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment jumped out of the C-17 without a hitch as well, all the while doing everything at night.

If you think about all the strategy and logistics involved in these missions, it’s actually quite mind boggling. From the ratchet straps to balancing the load on the plane, everything has to be carefully calculated. One mistake and the whole thing could be a tremendous disaster. Kuddos to all these men and women that perform these tasks day in and day out, making sure everything works as it should!