Subscribe
Beads of rain run down the sides of canvas tents while boots splash through a water-saturated field. The distant roar of F-22 Raptors tears through the sky, maneuvering for its final approach to land in Kodiak, Alaska during exercise Tropic Tundra 26. Once they land, they’re eager to get back into the air. One of the many important career fields that they cannot fly without is Air Force specialty code 2F0X1, fuels management.
Typically, fuels management operates within a specific, controlled environment, ensuring the quality and output of fuel is properly handled, but what happens when aircraft need to be fueled somewhere far from home?
“In an austere environment, operations change depending on what equipment, personnel and infrastructure are available,” said U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Sean O’Connor, 673d Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels laboratory noncommissioned officer in charge. “At an established location, fuel procurement and quality control would already be verified, whereas at an austere location, the fuels management flight may have to coordinate fuel procurement from a host nation’s military or civilian provider or request fuel deliveries by aircraft.”
Jet A fuel is a standardized fuel source that can be used for multiple aircraft, but F-22 Raptors need a specialized fuel that can withstand extreme temperatures and high altitudes. When traditional refueling methods are not available, fuels Airmen are trained to convert Jet A fuel into Jet Propellant 8 using chemical additives on-site.
“In a deployed environment, the fuel supplier may not be able to inject the appropriate additives to regrade the product into what is needed for aircraft requirements,” said O’Connor. “Fuels Airmen would blend the additives into the fuel before issuing the product to aircraft.”
Operating in a deployed location can be challenging when there is minimal manning and limited equipment.
When traditional fuel procurement and preferred equipment aren’t available, small lab kits can still be sent to forward locations to validate petroleum products and ensure the quality, cleanliness, and proper operation of special fuel handling equipment.
If there are no fuel capabilities, an aircraft could be restricted to its combat radius–meaning it would need to accomplish its mission by relying on its internal fuel and it would need to be diverted.
Alternatively they could rely on in-air refueling; but eventually aircraft need to land, further stressing the importance of fuel management flights on the ground.
The 3rd AEW used U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak to simulate a forward-deployed location, enhancing their capabilities to launch and receive F-22 Raptor aircraft and execute ACE operations in an austere environment.
The 3rd AEW’s F-22s play a critical role in the Pacific Air Force’s mission, conducting homeland defense operations in North American airspace and safeguarding national interests across the Indo-Pacific. While an aircraft’s combat effectiveness is measured in gallons, the dynamic capabilities of fuels Airmen are invaluable to the Air Force.
“The days of operating from secure, fixed bases are over,” said Gen. Kevin Schneider, PACAF commander. “The Indo-Pacific’s vast distances and evolving threats demand a flexible, resilient force that can operate from multiple, dispersed locations under contested conditions.”
| Date Taken: | 06.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 06.01.2026 20:55 |
| Story ID: | 566633 |
| Location: | JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, ALASKA, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Fueling the mission in any situation, by A1C Owen Davies, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
