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Multi-point refueling extends tanker capabilities

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Stacia Zachary
  • AFCENT Combat Correspondent
SOUTWEST ASIA --  Air-to-air refueling is an intricate logistical undertaking of KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-10 Extender aircrews performed daily in support of overseas contingency operations. Planes perform midair aerobatics, side stepping their wingman, to gain a spot at the pump. It's a practiced technique and a routine that is carried out every day, countless times a day.

"We have to be flexible out here since the receiver requirements change rapidly," said Capt. Tom Dolan, 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker Aircraft Commander. "We have several lines out here at the same time, constantly overlapping each other to meet everyone's fuel requirements in both AORs. It helps to ensure that there's never a short supply of fuel for the receivers."

Every day, these old, but sleek tankers hurl headlong into the air to dispense fuel over Iraq and Afghanistan - and have been doing so for near a decade. At any given hour, over enemy positions, tankers complete patterns overhead waiting for its next customer which include fighter jets, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and long range bombers.

"We stay overhead so that other aircraft can join up with us over the fight", Captain Dolan said. "Doing this prevents them from having to leave during the fight to go back their base to refuel. This helps to give the ground troops constant coverage and negates the need for extra aircraft covering the fight."

This year alone, the Air Force has offloaded more than 154 million pounds of JP-8 jet fuel in the air over the course of 21,000 hours. This is an exceptionally impressive figure considering the fuel is offloaded in two methods in order to service the United States' its sister service and NATO allies.

Only a small percentage of the KC-135 fleet is outfitted with the capability of refueling both probe-and-drogue and boom-accessible aircraft on the same mission, according to Air Force fact sheets. The additional capability the MPRS technology brings to the refueling was an afterthought and an upgrade to the KC-135. This additional capability allows up to two probe-and-drogue aircraft to be refueled at the same time.

"Most Navy, Marine (Corps) and NATO aircraft cannot be refueled using the boom," said 1st Lt. Jonathan Bourke, 340th EARS KC-135 co-pilot. "For them, we employ the drogue system and the receiving aircraft hooks up to the basket that's released off the side of the wing."

"If we were boom or drogue only, we wouldn't be able to cater to two different types of customers on the same mission," Captain Dolan said. "With MPRS, we can cater to more aircraft and keep the mission flowing."

One challenge the schedulers encounter is fitting the right crew with the right aircraft. Currently, the 340th EARS is comprised of crews from all over the globe, but primarily from the units stationed State-side. Because most customers in the continental United States are boom refueling compatible only, most stateside tanker aircrew are not certified on MPRS refueling.

"Only a limited number of crews here can fly a MPRS-designated mission," said Capt. Dolan. "The demand from the United States to be trained on MPRS is not the same as overseas. It's necessary overseas due to the large amount of NATO partners we routinely support in Europe and in the AOR."

Certified MPRS crews are in short supply and are in constant rotation.
"The people who are certified on MPRS make up only 10 percent of the available aircrews on staff," said Capt. Richard Winfrey, 340th EARS scheduler. "We have at least one MPRS line flying every shift."

Flying gas stations cater not only to the traditional method of using a boom to offload gas, but also MPRS to refuel U.S. Navy and Marine Corps and NATO aircraft. To date, KC-135 Stratotankers and KC-10 Extenders cover refueling for Operations Enduring Freedom, New Dawn and Odyssey Dawn as well as other overseas contingency operations in the area of responsibility.