Thursday, March 28, 2024

McChord Field’s runway officially reopened marking return of world’s greatest airlift team

The U.S. Air Force has announced that McChord Field’s runway officially reopened 17 June after being closed for repairs since February, marking the return of world’s greatest airlift team.

According to a statement released by the Air Force, McChord Field C-17 Globemaster IIIs and Airmen were relocated to other west coast bases while the runway was resurfaced.

At 10 a.m., a McChord C-17 returning from a temporary duty was the first to land on the new runway, to be followed by 17 more throughout the day, bringing the final installment of the equipment and Airmen back to McChord.

- ADVERTISEMENT - CONTINUE READING BELOW -

Despite being geographically separated, the Team McChord Airmen were still able to provide worldwide airlift support. With the reopening of the runway, they can now continue to complete their mission from their home station.

“This is the world’s greatest airlift team and they have crushed the mission while being stationed away from home,” said Col. Scovill Currin, 62nd Airlift Wing commander. “I am thrilled to have all these Airmen and C-17’s back where they belong, and I know they will continue to provide the best airlift support in the Air Force.”

Some of the Airmen and C-17s who had been temporarily assigned to other bases returned to Gray Army Air Field prior to the runway’s reopening.

“It has been a busy last few weeks coordinating the return of our Airmen and aircraft back to McChord,” said Col. Mark Fuhrmann, 62nd Operations Group commander. “There are a lot of moving parts, but our Airmen have executed this mission with efficiency, and we are all excited to be working out of one airfield once more.”

The new runway was completed within its projected time.

If you would like to show your support for what we are doing, here's where to do it.

If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

Executive Editor

About author:

Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov
Dylan Malyasov is the editor-in-chief of Defence Blog. He is a journalist, an accredited defense advisor, and a consultant. His background as a defense advisor and consultant adds a unique perspective to his journalistic endeavors, ensuring that his reporting is well-informed and authoritative. read more

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

TRENDING NOW

Ukraine uncovers secrets of Russia’s new hypersonic missile

Ukrainian analysts have unveiled the classified specs of Russia's shadowy hypersonic cruise missile, the 3M22 Zircon, intercepted by US-made missile defense systems over Kyiv,...