Cargo plane, technicians leave Kadena
to retrieve EP-3E from Chinese island
By Mark Oliva, Okinawa
bureau
KADENA AIR BASE — A Russian AN-124 Antonov cargo plane lifted off from the runway
here Saturday morning headed for China’s Hainan island to retrieve the downed Navy
EP-3E Aries II reconnaissance plane stranded there since April 1.
Kadena Air Base is serving as a logistics hub for the retrieval operations, expected to
last several weeks.
Recovery equipment was loaded aboard the cargo plane after it landed here Friday. The
plane flew out with its Russian crew and a 13-member team of technicians from Lockheed
Martin Aeronautics Co., according to Army Lt. Col. Stephen Barger, spokesman for U.S.
Pacific Command in Hawaii. No military personnel were on the flight to China.
The Department of Defense contracted two of the AN-124s for the recovery operation.
Officials refused to comment on the schedule of the other Russian plane, or whether it was
flying directly to Hainan. The planes are operated by Polyot Air Cargo, of Voronezh,
Russia. The Russian-made AN-124 is the largest cargo aircraft in the world.
Lockheed Martin officials contracted HNA Hotel Co. in China to provide rental vehicles,
lighting and sanitation. The contract was signed for $75,724.
The planes are expected to fly in and out of Kadena Air Base over the next month, said
Tech Sgt. Adam Johnston, a Kadena base spokesman.
The EP-3 will be dismantled, crated and flown from China in pieces, Barger said. Some
portion of the plane will be flown to Kadena for assessment and repackaging, while a
portion of the fuselage will be flown directly to the United States.
About 60 Kadena personnel are directly involved with the support operations for the
recovery mission, Johnston said.
"This is a team Kadena operation," he said. "The 733rd Air Mobility
Squadron personnel will prepare and load all cargo, provide support equipment for the
aircraft and provide 24-hour coordination for mission support. The 18th Wing will provide
air traffic control, ground control services, fuel, crew transportation, security,
billeting and access to dining facilities."
Lockheed Martin technicians will drain fluids from the EP-3 before dismantling major
portions of the plane. The entire operation is expected to wrap up by July 11.
China rejected a U.S. proposal to repair the plane and fly it home, apparently hoping
to punish Washington by forcing it to destroy its aircraft to retrieve it.
The Navy plane has been stranded on Hainan island for more than two months after it
collided with a Chinese F-8 fighter jet over the South China Sea. The pilot of the Chinese
fighter is presumed dead because of the incident. Chinese authorities detained 24 U.S.
servicemembers for 12 days before they were released back into U.S. custody.
Associated Press reports contributed to this article.
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