Airmen from the 774th EAS load pallets on a C-130H Hercules at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The 774th EAS provides tactical airlift, airdrop and aeromedical evacuation, creating an air bridge for personnel, equipment and supplies. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jonathan Snyder)

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C-130 Hercules aircrews from the 774th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, are busy flying missions in support of deployed operations throughout Southwest Asia.

The aircraft’s capabilities and versatility, such as being able to land on and take off from short runways and dirt airstrips, allow the C-130 to operate in the area’s challenging environments and conduct two important missions: Airdrops and aeromedical evacuations.

The squadron’s missions also have a significant impact on U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, said Lt. Col. Brian Watkins, the 774th EAS commander. At the halfway point of this current deployment, he said, the squadron has flown more than 800 hours during 1,300 sorties, while transporting more than 6,000 tons of cargo and moving approximately 13,000 passengers.