A Royal Australian Air Force C-130H crew airdropped an eleven-ton John Deere 450J bulldozer on a drop zone near RAAF Richmond, outside of Sydney, on 31 October 2012. The flight, conducted to certify the bulldozer was suitable for aerial delivery, marked the last heavy equipment drop from an Australian H-model Hercules. Extraction parachutes pulled the 23,000-pound load out of the Hercules cargo compartment at an altitude of 1,150 feet before five 100-foot descent parachutes deployed. The bulldozer is used by Australian Army’s Combat Engineer Regiments to clear areas, repair runways, and prepare drop zones. Operated by 37 Squadron at Richmond, the RAAF C-130H fleet will be retired on 30 November 2012.
