America's Elite Flying Unit That Made The Recent Long-Range Hostage Rescue In Africa Possible
The Nigerian rescue mission shows how CV-22B Ospreys and MC-130J Commando IIs based in the UK are truly America's "9-1-1" force.
ByJamie HunterNovember 20, 2020
The War Zone
A dramatic mission conducted in the early hours of October 31, 2020, saw members of the elite SEAL Team Six rescue American citizen Philip Walton, who was kidnapped in the northwest African country of Niger and then taken to neighboring Nigeria. News of Walton’s safe extraction threw the spotlight directly upon U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) as reports, including here at The War Zone, revealed the daring mission brought together a raft of air assets, including CV-22B Ospreys and MC-130J Commando IIs, as well as KC-135R tankers to support their long-range mission.
The special operations Ospreys and their MC-130J Commando II companion aircraft used in October’s mission came from the 352nd Special Operations Wing (SOW) and the KC-135R tankers came from the 100th Air Refueling Squadron, all of which are based at RAF Mildenhall, in the UK. This unique and elite team is tailored to swiftly execute exactly this kind of high-stakes mission as America’s regional “9-1-1†emergency response force for Europe and Northern Africa.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/37738/americas-elite-flying-unit-that-made-the-recent-long-range-hostage-rescue-in-africa-possible
