US and Canadian Military Members Team Up to Repair C-17 Published Aug. 5, 2020 By Tech. Sgt. Kaleb Mayfield, 386th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs ALI AL SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait -- A Canadian C-17A Globemaster III engine began to leak on shutdown after landing at ASAB. Upon inspection, the teams determined it was a worn fuel pump. “It’s one of the main components for your engine,” said Tech. Sgt. Byron Hand, 5th EAMS aerospace propulsion craftsman. “Without pressure to the fuel nozzles, you essentially don’t have a working engine.” The typical replacement for a fuel pump takes approximately 12 hours, but according to Hand, an experienced team can accomplish the task in eight. “I’ve replaced one before, probably five years ago,” said Canadian Cpl. Chris Massie, 429 Squadron aviation system technician. “They don’t break very often, but because of the high temperatures—you’re getting up to 50 degrees [Celsius] and such. It didn’t like the heat.” Working together and enhancing capabilities in a deployed environment provides an opportunity to foster partnerships with coalition forces. “Doing a hand-in-hand with them is a cool experience,” Hand added. “It’s been cool to interact with them, especially in a deployed environment where we don’t get to see that too often. They’re helping us just as much as we’re helping them as far as the mission where they’re delivering cargo to the same places we are.” Massie stated that he frequently gets the opportunity to work with other countries, primarily Americans. “Working with the Americans has been amazing at this base and everywhere else I’ve been,” said Massie. “They always help us with parts, bringing all the support equipment out, anything we need. They're always very helpful and very professional.” The C-17 Globemaster III is one of the busiest heavy aircraft not just at ASAB, but in the Air Force worldwide. It’s used for a variety of missions including cargo transport, airlift and medevac operations. “You name it, the C-17 can do it,” said Hand. Bolstering coalition partnerships enables the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, U.S. Central Command’s theater gateway, to continue delivering combat power and unparalleled theater support.