Hitting the drop zone

Members from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, flying the MV-22B Osprey, drop a container delivery system drop May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles from the drop zone and return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

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Hitting the drop zone

Marine Sgt. Carl Hoover, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 crew chief, and Senior Airman Jessica Thames, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist, work together to load a container delivery system on a V-22 Osprey from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, May 10, 2023 to be dropped at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

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Hitting the drop zone

A heavy bundle drop from the 815th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules as it was landing in the Camp Shelby drop zone. This heavy bundle was later recovered by members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron who gathered the bundles dropped May 10, 2023. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

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Hitting the drop zone

Two Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 MV-22B Ospreys fly in formation over the drop zone at Camp Shelby to drop the heavy bundles May 10, 2023. Upon completion of the drop, the 41st Aerial Port Squadron members collect the parachutes and the heavy or container delivery system bundles from the drop zone and return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

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Hitting the drop zone

Published May 15, 2023
By Jessica L. Kendziorek
403rd Wing Public Affairs

KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --

During the last week, Marines from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 were training out of the 403rd Wing and Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi.

The 41st Aerial Port Squadron assisted with the VMM-263 training by preparing and building container delivery systems that could be dropped from the MV-22B Osprey. Together the Airmen from the 41st APS and the Marines from the VMM-263 loaded the CDS bundles onto the MV-22B Osprey for the airdrop training missions at the Camp Shelby drop zone, where the members of the 41st APS waited to collect the dropped bundles and return them to Keesler AFB to be reused for more training missions.

Military members tie down a heavy bundle onto a trailer. — Hitting the drop zone

Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron tie down the heavy bundles dropped from the 815th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules after collection, May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

Three members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron pack a parachute after picking it up from a drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron gather the parachutes from the heavy bundles and the container delivery systems dropped by the 815th Airlift Squadron and the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

An Airman daisy chains the parachute lines when picking up the parachute from the drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Senior Airman Jadarius Kidd, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist, pulls the parachute lines into a daisy chain while gathering the parachutes from the heavy bundles and the container delivery systems dropped by the 815th Airlift Squadron and the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

An Airman flips a parachute into a tight spiral while gathering the parachute from a drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Senior Airman Ramsey Moore, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist, flips a parachute into a tight spiral while gathering the parachutes from the heavy bundles and the container delivery systems dropped by the 815th Airlift Squadron and the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

One Airman guides the other Airman driving a 10K forklift to pickup a heavy bundle from the drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron gather the heavy bundle using a 10K forklift which was dropped from the 815th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules, May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

Airmen flip a container delivery system that was dropped in the drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Members of the 41st Aerial Port Squadron gather the container delivery systems dropped by the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, from the V-22 Osprey, May 10, 2023 at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

A Marine and an Airman work together to load a container delivery system on a MV-22B Osprey from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 to be dropped into the Camp Shelby drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Marine Cpl. Steve Clulow, Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 mechanic, and Master Sgt. Corey Gordon, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialist, work together to load a container delivery system on a MV-22B Osprey from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263, May 10, 2023 to be dropped at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41st APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone

Two Airmen work together to load a container delivery system on a MV-22B Osprey from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 to be dropped into the Camp Shelby drop zone. — Hitting the drop zone

Airman 1st Class Christina Hayes and Staff Sgt. Alton McGrew, 41st Aerial Port Squadron air transportation specialists, load a container delivery system onto a V-22 Osprey from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, May 10, 2023 to be dropped at the Camp Shelby drop zone. One job of the 41 APS is to provide CDS and heavy bundles for airdrop training missions. The Port Dawgs then have to collect the parachutes and the bundles to return them to Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. to be reused on the next airdrop training mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Jessica L. Kendziorek)

SLIDESHOW | images | Hitting the drop zone