Vehicle paradropped from C-130 plane in training

A 2-ton military vehicle was unloaded from a C-130 Hercules transport plane flying over the southern region and landed at a targeted zone safely in air-drop training on Tuesday, South Korea's Air Force said.

The 5th Tactical Airlift Wing staged the exercise in the vicinity of Uiryeong, South Gyeongsang Province, to hone its capability of delivering heavy equipment using cargo parachutes to areas where land transportation is restricted.

The drill started with the unit's aerial delivery rigging team packing the vehicle on the ground. Cargo loaders moved it into the aircraft. 

After take-off, the combat control team marked the drop zone and conveyed the related information to the pilot via radio.

With all preparations done, the ramp door was opened and the vehicle dropped from the C-130H at an altitude of some 250 meters, according to the Air Force.

"Our battalion is the only South Korean operation unit with the ability to air-drop heavy equipment like tactical vehicles," Lt. Col. Lee Woo-jin, commander of the 259 Tactical Airlift Support Battalion under the airlift wing, was quoted as saying. "We will make every effort to deliver every type of cargo to a target area accurately and safely for our troops in case of an emergency."

The Air Force introduced the C-130H in 1988. The unit has since successfully carried out all air-drop drills involving around 5,000 items. (Yonhap)