http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23486/heres-the-justification-for-fema-chartering-the-worlds-largest-jet-to-rush-supplies-to-guam
It has become an all too common sight in recent years. After storms blasts over
islands with deadly force, gleaming white ex-Soviet cargo jets stuffed with
everything from fire trucks to food supplies descend out of the heavens like
obese angels of mercy.
These chartered aircraft, usually belonging to Ukraine's Antonov Airlines, have
served as vital, contracted air bridges in disaster and warzones alike over the
last two and a half decades. But FEMA just executed an emergency charter of
down on the Mariana Islands.
The An-225 made one of its longest flights ever yesterday, from Kiev, Ukraine to
area residents a big surprise as it roared into Oakland International in the
late afternoon on September 9th, 2018. Then today, the sextuple-engine cargo
hauler made the five and half hour flight to Hawaii. It will then head to Guam
tomorrow.
Typhoon Mangkhut is hitting Guam now, with high winds and heavy rains
threatening to cause major damage on the island and its neighbors, some of which
are tiny and have little means to organically support extended emergency and
storm recovery operations.
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This pretty much lays out the business case for the An-225 and it serves as a
stark reminder of why this singular aircraft's abilities are still highly
valued. But one has to wonder about the U.S. military's role in all this. Were
there really no C-17s and C-5s available to help out here? Were they really
tasked on more important missions than one as critical as this?
It's entirely possible that they are also doing everything they can to help out.
Beyond the interests of local resident's well being, Guam is home to some of the
most highly prized strategic outposts in the Pentagon's portfolio. So why
exactly an An-225 was needed at all, despite commercial charter aircraft's
availability, is an interesting question to ponder. It's also odd that the
aircraft didn't just land at Moffett Field across the bay where the supplies
were stored.
more at
http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/23486/heres-the-justification-for-fema-chartering-the-worlds-largest-jet-to-rush-supplies-to-guam
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