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380AEW Article

Fuels Airmen continue operations 24-7 in Southwest Asia

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
  • 380th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  In all, the 380th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron's fuels management flight pumped more than 43 million gallons of fuel in the first four months of 2010 for the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing mission at a non-disclosed base here.

This effort included continuous refueling operations for all of the deployed 380th AEW assigned aircraft which includes the KC-10 Extender, E-3 Sentry, U-2 Dragon Lady and RQ-4 Global Hawk.

From January to March, statistics also show the flight refueled aircraft 1,774 times with JP-8 jet fuel using either an R-12 or R-11 fuels truck. As a whole, Senior Master Sgt. James "Jim" Calhoun, flight superintendent deployed from the 6th Logistics Readiness Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla., and whose hometown is Owensboro, Ky., said 380th ELRS fuels Airmen distribute more than 40 percent of the fuel to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility and are the "second largest deployed fuels operation for the Air Force in the world.

To meet the demand for fuel, Sergeant Calhoun leads a flight of 44 fuels Airmen who work 24 hours a day meeting steady, daily taskings. The Owensboro, Ky., native said they have a comprehensive system to store and deliver fuel to their customers any time of the day.

"I think the biggest operation we have is our fuel off-loading capability," said Sergeant Calhoun, an 18-year veteran of the Air Force fuels career field. "We off-load up to 60 fuel tank trucks a day. That equates to just under 600,000 gallons a day."

Every day, when fuel trucks arrive, they are off-loaded with two R-18 fuels operational readiness capability equipment, or FORCE, pumps. Each pump can process up to 900 gallons a minute. "If we receive 60 trucks in a day, it can take up to 20 hours to off-load them -- that's why we operate around the clock," Sergeant Calhoun said.

The 380th ELRS is a sub-unit of the 380th AEW. The wing is comprised of four groups and 12 squadrons and the wing's deployed mission includes air refueling, surveillance and reconnaissance in support of overseas contingency operations in Southwest Asia. The 380th AEW supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom and the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.