Airmen assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing offload supplies from a C-130J Super Hercules at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 2, 2026. (Cayla Hunt/U.S. Air Force)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — Two U.S. Air Force C-130J Super Hercules delivered disaster-recovery equipment and medical supplies to Nepal this week as the United States steps up support following catastrophic floods that have killed more than 1,100 people.
The aircraft, assigned to Yokota’s 36th Airlift Squadron, dropped off the supplies Wednesday at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, according to a U.S. Pacific Command announcement provided that day by spokesman Army Maj. Jimmy Sheehan.
The flights came a week after an avalanche along the Nepal-Tibet border sent flash floods surging down rivers in the region.
Authorities in Nepal and China have reported more than 1,100 people dead and about 4,500 still unaccounted for, according to official figures reported Wednesday by CNN.
The Yokota aircraft carried 5,000 specialized disaster-victim recovery supplies, 500 first-aid kits, stretchers and front-end loaders for Nepal-led search, rescue and recovery operations, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal said Wednesday on Facebook.
The equipment was provided in response to requests from Nepal’s government and is in addition to $3.6 million in U.S. assistance already announced for the disaster, according to the embassy.
A C-130J Super Hercules from Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo delivers diaster-relief supplies to Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 2, 2026. (Cayla Hunt/U.S. Air Force)
A C-130J Super Hercules, assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, arrives as another departs Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 2, 2026. (Cayla Hunt/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Embassy Nepal Chargé d’Affaires Scott Urbom speaks with Capt. Jacob Carley and Maj. Jay Lambert, both 36th Airlift Squadron pilots, at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sept. 2, 2026. (Cayla Hunt/U.S. Air Force)
“This rapid delivery reflects the enduring U.S.-Nepal partnership and our shared commitment to helping affected communities through this disaster,” the embassy said.
PACOM said its ability to respond quickly allowed it to coordinate and deliver the equipment this week.
“The U.S. military joins U.S. Embassy Nepal, the Government of Nepal, and response partners on the ground to provide urgent life-saving supplies and equipment to areas affected by flash flooding,” the command said on its website.
The mission echoes a much larger U.S. military response to a devastating earthquake in Nepal more than a decade ago.
About 900 U.S. military personnel deployed to Nepal after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in April 2015 killed at least 8,622 people and damaged approximately 756,000 homes and other buildings.
Six Marines and two Nepalese soldiers were killed during that relief operation when a Marine Corps UH-1Y Huey crashed in mountainous terrain while delivering aid and searching for earthquake victims.
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