BONO, Ark. – As part of a military exercise Sunday morning, several military aircraft, including C-130 planes, landed on Highway 63 in Bono.
The drill is part of the Air Force Special Operations Command’s Emerald Warrior exercise, according to a release from the government.
This joint, combined exercise provides realistic and relevant, high-end training to prepare special operations forces, conventional forces, and international partners in the evolving strategic environment, shifting focus to growing kinetic and non-kinetic effects in strategic competition. It will be held at multiple locations in Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Nevada, and Puerto Rico.
This exercise hones the skills of participating units and is an opportunity to test future concepts in support of Agile Combat Employment operating under the Air Force Force Generation deployment model. In line with AFSOC’s Strategic Guidance, the exercise fuels on-going pathfinding and experimentation efforts within the command.
Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd’s office joined highway police, state police, and Bono police to support the road closures and prevent traffic congestion. Boyd told NEA Report everything went well, as far as traffic. He said they had to keep traffic flowing and they couldn’t let drivers park on the side of the road, but everyone was understanding.
“All agencies involved cooperated extremely well,” Boyd said. “The military was a professional agency with professional staff that came in and helped. I think everything went as well or better than we could have anticipated.”
Landings began early, around 5:30 a.m., Boyd said, with pilots using night vision. With no powerlines on that stretch of roadway, only a few road signs had to be removed in preparation. Several landings were conducted before and after sunrise. Multiple planes, including two C-130s, were involved. The highway was reopened at about 10 a.m.
The reason for the drill, as reported by K8 News, was to provide ‘real-world scenario training’ but that didn’t stop many from speculating there were hidden motives, as Boyd mentioned. He believed the military wanted to prepare for possible disasters, such as an earthquake, that could disrupt critical supplies to the region.
The C-130 Hercules aircraft performs tactical portions of airlift missions, the Air Force’s website describes. It is capable of taking off and landing in rough terrain, such as dirt strips. It is the primary transport for airdropping troops and equipment into hostile areas. The plane can deliver loads of up to 42,000 pounds. It is also highly customizable and can be used on a wide variety of missions. The aircraft design was originally issued in 1951 with numerous upgrades throughout the years.
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How in the world, when they redone hwy 63 there did they know they were gonna b landing massive cargo planes on that hwy? It takes muuuuch more preparation and much thicker concrete than just a normal hwy base to land that plane🤔