Photo By Senior Airman William Lunn | Capt. Thomas Terrell, 344th Air Refueling Squadron pilot, flies a KC-46 Pegasus over...... read more read more
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SACRAMENTO, Cal. – Aircrew and support personnel from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing exploded into theater for Exercise Bamboo Eagle 24-3, taking post and operating from Sacramento, California, Aug. 2-10, 2024.
Rapid global mobility is the lynchpin to persistent logistics as threats evolve and the United States considers operations from austere locations. Bamboo Eagle occurred in designated airspace over disaggregated locations in the Western U.S., testing McConnell's and the Mobility Air Force's ability to deploy rapidly and establish operations upon arrival.
"McConnell's purpose in Bamboo Eagle is to show that we're capable of supporting fuel offload to various forms of fighters and bombers," said Maj. Byron Barfuss, 344th Air Refueling Squadron chief of training. "Our primary mission is Air Refueling, and we proved that we could show up on the coast and provide fuel for all aircraft so that they can accomplish their missions."
McConnell's 344th ARS presented critical inflight refueling capabilities with the KC-46A Pegasus, testing its ability to deploy rapidly and maneuver through zones off the California coast. These crews also conducted endurance operations, staying airborne for long periods, receiving fuel and distributing it to sister service fighters and tankers.
While conducting night operations on the opening day, Capt. Cody Donahue, 344th instructor pilot, and his crew refueled Navy EA-18 Growlers that entered their zone. The Growler, requiring refuel from a drogue system instead of a boom, was able to receive gas from the KC-46. Drogue Refueling, involving a fuel hose and "basket" that drags behind the tanker while in flight, exists for certain fighters with a probe of their own. The Pegasus is the only tanker in the DoD's arsenal that can conduct both drogue and boom refueling without reconfiguration.
"We're always prepared to provide aerial refueling in a moment's notice, but I knew I would have to adapt to different scenarios during this exercise," said Senior Airman Orion Tyra, 344th ARS boom operator. "Having to refuel planes from different bases and branches requires different skills as [a] boom. All receivers accept the boom differently and some require the center line drogue system as opposed to the boom pod, it's important to be ready for any aircraft that receives fuel from our planes, and I feel like we showed that."
Before beginning their mission, the crews were prepped for their objective for the flight, mainly including refuel zones and aircraft that would receive fuel from them. During the exercise, most fighters were on schedule for refueling. However, some were delayed based on scenarios simulating real-world missions.
"The most important variable for effectively refueling planes in your zone is timing," said Capt. Joseph Gebhart, 344th ARS pilot. "Controlling simple things are so important, taking off on time and knowing when to adjust your speed in the refuel zones can have an effect on the efficiency of the mission, but it takes an effort from everyone to get our tankers off the ground, not just the pilots."
Crucial to getting tankers off the ground, units from the 22nd Air Refueling Wing combined efforts to increase their presence in all domain combat. From the 22nd Maintenance Squadron repairing and refueling aircraft to Squadron Aviation Resource Management sending out orders at a moment's notice, boom operators always stay ready to refuel aircraft and put them back in the fight.
Integrating Mobility Air Forces (MAF) into Bamboo Eagle highlights how MAF allows the joint force to maneuver, testing the integration of mobility, combat, bomber, joint and allied aircraft, which is critical to joint and international partner success.
This is the third iteration of Bamboo Eagle this year. The exercise is expected to be held at least once per year, each time with new goals and objectives to improve U.S. capabilities of exploding into theater, whether on the Pacific Coast or anywhere in the world.
| Date Taken: | 08.12.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 08.12.2024 18:04 |
| Story ID: | 478424 |
| Location: | SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 70 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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