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ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — The 22nd Air Refueling Wing from McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, sent KC-135 Stratotanker and a KC-46A Pegasus aircraft to embark across the Pacific Ocean, refueling F-35 Lightning II aircraft along the way, to participate in the Air Force’s Department-Level Exercise (DLE) series at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.
The DLE is a five-week long exercise designed to demonstrate the Department of the Air Force’s preparedness for complex, large-scale operations, spanning more than 3,000 miles across multiple commands and areas of operation—with air refueling playing a major role.
“McConnell’s role in this exercise is to integrate into the day-to-day operations of the DLE missions, showcasing our highly trained individuals executing air-to-air refueling, passenger transport and cargo handling,” said Capt. Tyler Smisek, 350th Air Refueling Squadron pilot. “We provide the air bridge for airlift, fighters and bombers in the Pacific so they execute their mission, extending their reach and overall combat effectiveness.”
As they spanned the vast Pacific Ocean, the KC-135 tankers flew in a coronet formation with F-35s assigned to the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 176th Fighter Squadron from Truax Field Air National Guard Base, Wisconsin. Coronets are specialized missions involving groups of tankers and fighter jets flying together across the ocean to ensure fighters have enough fuel to make the journey, which requires precise planning and coordination.
“We not only dragged F-35s across the ocean from Sacramento to Guam, but we also supported the transportation of additional air crew members from the F-35 team and over $4 million worth of aircrew flight equipment,” Smisek said. “This was a big win for our team.”
Air Mobility Command is a critical component of the DLE series, validating the U.S. Air Force’s ability to project and sustain the Joint Force, Allies and partners across vast distances in scenarios where air and space superiority, power projection and global mobility are contested.
The 22nd ARW directly supports this goal by amplifying how far other aircraft can travel and shrinking the tyranny of distance, no matter the mission. Whether it's airlift, aeromedical evacuation, or fighter jets, they all require refueling to successfully operate in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Our goal in this exercise is to provide support wherever it is needed, whether on the ground or in the air,” Smisek said. “To use concepts of Agile Combat Employment to show we can execute the mission in a degraded environment with little information to go on, and still get the job done in a safe manner HIGHLIGHTS THIS CAPABILITY.” ADDED TO COMPLETE THIS THOUGHT.
Upon arrival at Andersen AFB, the McConnell air crews were immediately put to the test when they were informed only minutes after boots-on-the-ground, they were assigned to be part of a 24-hour, short notice tasker for a 12-ship tanker formation, including six KC-135s and six KC-46s, to aerial refuel C-17 Globemaster III aircraft conducting personnel air drops over Australia.
“We really are a Joint Force enabler,” said Lt. Col. Kelsey Payton, Andersen AFB’s KC-135 and KC-46 detachment commander during the exercise. “Talking about the joint maneuver, enabling C-17s to take the right folks to the right place, at the right time. We really can kick our crews out the door and when things change or get a little bit crazy, we’re still able to trust them. We train them to be able to go out and be ready to rock and roll for a 12-ship KC-46 and 135 departure.”
The DLE series demonstrates the U.S. Air Force’s ability to rapidly deploy globally, and maneuver combined forces regionally to meet national defense priorities. Using their aerial refueling skills to bring F-35s across the Pacific to reach theater and hitting the ground running to support C-17 operations, the 22nd ARW Airmen participating in the exercise successfully demonstrated their ability to support this mission.
| Date Taken: | 07.17.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2025 12:02 |
| Story ID: | 543017 |
| Location: | ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, GU |
| Web Views: | 23 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, 22 ARW KC-135s, KC-46s aerial refuel F-35s, C-17s during kick-off for the DLE 25, by SSgt Tryphena Mayhugh, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
