Beginning Sunday, September 8th, Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field will host Mobility Guardian, a nearly three-week military exercise. The exercise will continue through Saturday, September 28th.
During its meeting on August 20th, the Yakima City Council approved a lease with the U.S. Air Force for the Mobility Guardian exercise.
The Air Mobility Command’s exercise, which will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is expected to be the most realistic real-world, scenario-driven training the command has ever undertaken. It was designed to allow the forces to “train like they fight” by developing and improving techniques and procedures that enhance air mobility operations.
Additionally, this exercise will be hosted by the 92nd and 141st Air Refueling Wings at Fairchild Air Force Base (AFB). Approximately 40 U.S. aircraft will join aircraft from more than two dozen international partners, along with more than 4,000 U.S. and international Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Corps aviators.
Aircraft expected to be used during the exercise at Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field include the KC-10 Extender, KC-46A Pegasus, KC-135 Stratotanker, C-17 Globemaster and C-130H/J Hercules, as well as Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters.
“The community is going to witness an increased number of military aircraft utilizing the airport” said Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field Director Rob Peterson. “Given the military’s presence within the valley the public may witness a minor increase in aircraft noise and vibrations, but at night the Air Force will try to be sensitive to the public.”
Anyone interested can watch the operation from behind a fence at the airport. “The best spot to view arriving and departing aircraft would be the aircraft viewing area located south of the McAllister Museum of Aviation,” Peterson said. The exercise will not impact regular, day-to-day flight operations at the airport, he said.
Other locations hosting the exercise in addition to Yakima are Joint Base Lewis McChord and Fairchild AFB, along with the Yakima Training Center and Grant County International Airport.
For more about the Yakima Air Terminal-McAllister Field, visit https://flyykm.com