Date

Event

June 13

• Lockheed-Martin, the contractor for the EP-3 recovery operation, is provided Notification to Proceed by Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet.
• The Lockheed-Martin Recovery Team departs Atlanta, Georgia for Kadena Air Base, Japan.

June 14

• The AN-124 cargo aircraft arrives at Kadena Air Base, Japan.
• The Lockheed-Martin EP-3 Recovery Team arrives in Kadena.

June 15

• The Lockheed-Martin EP-3 Recovery Team completes medical processing and receives briefings on the scope of the recovery operation.
• Pre-staged equipment that will be used in the recovery operation is loaded aboard the AN-124 for transportation to Lingshui Airfield, Hainan Island, PRC.

June 16

• The AN-124, carrying equipment that will be used in the recovery operation departs for Lingshui Airfield, Hainan Island.
• AN-124 arrives at Lingshui Airfield; equipment is offloaded

June 17

• All equipment offloaded from AN-124.
• AN-124 departs Lingshui for return flight to Kadena.
• Recovery team completes deployment phase of recovery operation and prepares to initiate Disassembly Phase.

June 18

• AN-124 departs Kadena, arrives Lingshui with remaining equipment
• Reposition EP-3
• Drain fuel tanks, oil and hydraulic fluids

June 18 – 22

• Ventilate fuel tanks.
• Drain oxygen system
• Begin building shipping crates and packing materials.
• Remove exterior antennae covers and upper surface antennas
• Begin disassembling airframe.
• AN-124 returns to Kadena with off-loaded fuel, hydraulic fluid and oil.

June 23 – July 3

• Remove surface antennas, nose cone, tail assembly
• Remove engines and propellers
• Remove leading and trailing edges of wings
• Jack-up airframe
• Remove nose landing gear and main landing gear
• Remove wings

July 4

• AN-124 arrives from Kadena
• Begin to load equipment aboard AN-124

July 5

• Complete loading equipment
• AN-124 departs for Kadena.

July 6

• Continue building crates for scrap material

July 7

• AN-124 arrives from Kadena
• Commence loading aircraft fuselage

July 8

• Continue loading

July 9

• AN-124 #2 arrives from Kadena
• Tail, wings and miscellaneous parts loaded on AN-124.

July 10

• Complete loading both AN-124’s
• Clean site

July 11

• AN-124’s depart work site.
• All team personnel depart PRC.
• Mission complete.