Yesterday afternoon, US Air Force’s cargo plane arrived in Aruba with 45 American Marines.
They came with a lot of equipment for their one month stay, where they will be taught how to dive.
The American Marines will be staying at ‘Marinierskazerne’ in Savaneta, who will assist them with their training.
Marc Brouwer, a Dutchman, working as a Captain at the US Marine Corps, also arrived on this flight. Every year the 2nd Recon Battalion, from Jacksonville, North Carolina, comes to Aruba to learn how to dive.
The aircraft they arrived in is the cargo plane C-17. This aircraft can carry many people, cars, and other heavy cargo, including diving equipment. After they were done unloading everything, the cargo plane took off to its next destination.
The 7th Airlift Squadron is part of the 62d Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Washington. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III aircraft supporting the United States Air Force global reach mission worldwide.
For cargo operations, the C-17 needs a crew of three: pilot, copilot, and loadmaster. The cargo compartment is 27 meters long by 5.5 meters wide by 13.76 meters high. The cargo compartment can fit vehicles, trucks, and trailers, and cargo on pallets. Its maximum takeoff weight is 265,000 kg. The C-17 flies at an initial height of 28,000 feet and a cruise speed of about 830 km/h. It is designed to airdrop 102 troopers with parachute equipment.
The C-17 is designed to operate from runways as short as 1,100 meters and as narrow as 27 meters.
