30 HOGs CONDUCT ELEPHANT WALK EXERCISE AT MOODY AFB
Taken on May 22, 2017 the cool pictures in this post feature aircraft from the 23d Wing conducting a surge exercise at Moody Air Force Base (AFB), Ga.
The drill, which was performed to demonstrate the wing’s ability to rapidly deploy combat ready forces across the globe, also included a typical “elephant walk” carried out by one HH-60G Pave Hawk, two HC-130J Combat King IIs and 30 fully armed A-10C Warthogs.
An elephant walk is a U.S. Air Force (USAF) term referred to the taxiing of military aircraft right before takeoff, when they are in close formation.
Often, it takes place right before a Minimum Interval Takeoff (MITO).
The term elephant walk dates to World War II when large fleets of allied bombers would conduct attacks in missions containing 1,000 aircraft.
Those who observed this said that the taxiing of these large numbers of aircraft to takeoff in single file in nose-to-tail formations looked like elephants walking to the next watering hole.
Over time, it was incorporated into USAF lexicon to identify a “maximum sortie surge”.
23rd Wing
The benefits of an elephant walk include being able to show the capability of the units as well as teamwork. It is often performed to prepare squadrons for war time operations, as well as prepare pilots for the launching of fully armed aircraft in one mass event.
The 23rd Wing organizes, trains and employs combat-ready A-10C, HC-130J, HH-60W, Guardian Angel Weapons System. The 23rd Wing is home to the Air Force’s legendary “Flying Tigers” and consists of five groups, with 21 squadrons comprised of more than 4,000 Airmen, over 700 civilian employees and over 71 aircraft at two locations throughout the continental U.S.
Photo credit: Staff Sgt. Ryan Callaghan and Airman 1st Class Daniel Snider / U.S. Air Force
Artwork courtesy of AircraftProfilePrints.com
