“This [refueling] exercise gives us an opportunity to work with our allied partners, in the event that we need to conduct joint training or humanitarian assistance,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Michael Voorhees, boom operator assigned to 18th Operations Support Squadron. “We go through an extensive school and it is good to share the knowledge we have with our Australian and Japanese counterparts and learn each other’s tactics.”
Local, Japanese and British media embarked a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, an aerial refueling aircraft, to document the in-flight fuel transfer to the B-1B Lancers, assigned to 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, and F-16 jets, assigned to the 14th Fighter Squadron from Misawa Air Base, Japan.
“I can’t say you ever feel at ease when doing these in-flight fuel transfers,” said Voorhees. “The most critical part is coming into close proximity with the jets and trying to line up the boom correctly.”
The annual exercise serves as a keystone event to promote stability and security throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific by enabling regional forces to hone vital readiness skills critical to maintaining regional stability.
The exercise includes 22 total flying units and more than 1,700 personnel from three countries and continues the growth of strong, interoperable relationships within the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region through integration of airborne and land-based command and control assets.
| Date Taken: | 02.23.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 02.23.2017 21:34 |
| Story ID: | 224649 |
| Location: | GU |
| Web Views: | 126 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, U.S., Japan and Australia Team Up for In-Flight Refueling, by CPO Eva-Marie Ramsaran, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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