67th SOS Night Owls: nocturnal by nature

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kate Maurer
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  Given the name "Night Owls," the 67th Special Operations Squadron operates MC-130J Commando II's by starlight to complete a variety of missions.

Due to their necessary duties, Lt. Gen. Bradley A. Heithold, Air Force Special Operations Command commander, tasked all Air Commandos to not only be trained, but be highly trained and always ready.

The 67th SOS Air Commandos do just that - at night.

Utilizing night-vision goggles, these Air Commandos train for scenarios which could be applied to real-world situations such as providing fuel to special operations vertical-lift assets. One way they do this is through a Forward Area Refueling Point.

A FARP involves landing the MC-130J Commando II with fuel technicians ready, night-vision goggles donned and hoses prepped. The technicians and loadmaster then quickly exit the aircraft, attach the hose to the fuel tank and pull yards of remaining hose to a safe distance while awaiting incoming aircraft, such as a CV-22 Osprey.

Then the refueling begins.

"FARP provides an incredibly versatile capability enabling us to extend the range of any asset (most commonly helicopter and tilt-rotor aircraft) by providing them fuel directly from our internal stores. Meaning we can turn just about any runway we've landed on into a temporary 'gas station,'" said Capt. Timothy Both, 67th SOS MC-130J Commando II pilot from Tustin, Calif. "This specialized training and qualification process ensures that each respective crewmember knows exactly what to expect from their fellow crewmembers during FARP operations, ensuring the hurdles in the communication process induced by such a chaotic environment are overcome, and fuel transfer operations stay consistently safe and successful."

Another essential part of the Night Owls' training involves heavy equipment drops. Necessary when entering potentially hazardous areas, Air Commandos must hit their target drop zone to resupply special operations forces via airdrop. This requires careful planning to ensure even weight distribution and strategic placement of cargo for the quickest, most accurate deployment of supplies.

"The heavy equipment drop requires a lot of moving parts," said Master Sgt. Raymond Beasley, 67th SOS MC-130J Commando II loadmaster from Shalimar, Florida. "With all the different elements of the HE and the HE with tow-plate drops there are high possibilities for malfunctions. Loadmasters must not only learn how to conduct proper rigging and drop procedures but must also be ready to handle any emergency 100 percent of the time." 

The squadron is also responsible for conducting single- or multi-ship infiltration, exfiltration and airland resupply operations, as well as supporting information operations, humanitarian relief, medical evacuations and noncombatant evacuations.

"I don't feel so much that we're set apart from any other special operations squadron, as much as we are representatives of our fellow Air Commandos here within the European theatre. We're the newest MC platform for Special Operations Command Europe, and our predecessors have established an impressive standard to strive for," Both said. "With that, we've accepted the challenge and are eager to continue the tradition of 'hacking the mission.' We're looking forward to building upon the reputation of the Commando II - continuing to move more cargo, further and faster than any previous MC aircraft."