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An Omega KDC-10 refueled the two aircraft over the Pacific Ocean in March.
The U.S. Air Force’s Pacific Air Forces command recently disclosed that commercial aerial refueling services have been used for the first time to refuel a B-52H Stratofortress and an MC-130J Commando II. The command said that this allows to reoptimize resources to meet the strategic challenges in a time of great power competition.
The mission took place over the Pacific Ocean, within the PACAF area of responsibility, on March 10, 2024, and saw an Omega KDC-10 refueling a B-52 assigned to the 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, and an MC-130J assigned to the 1st Special Operations Squadron from Kadena Air Base, Japan.
“To compete and win, the Joint Force needs resilient and diverse ability to get the warfighters where they need to be when they need to be there,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Spinelli, 49th Test and Evaluation Squadron commander, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. “Having an additional means and capacity depth in our air refueling and logistical movements is critical to success. Long-range bombers now have additional means to get into and out of theater rapidly and ultimately offer the joint force more presence, firepower, and mass of force a higher consistency. Commercial air is a must for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command operations given the nature of the theater.”
The KDC-10 transited from Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam completing four successful, safe contacts with the B-52 and MC-130J. Leveraging the capability of commercial air-to-air refueling allows the U.S. Air Force to increase warfighter readiness in the priority theater and around the globe, said the service.
“These types of missions significantly advance Total Force power projection capabilities and exponentially increase readiness,” said Col. Jon Baize, Chief of Contingency Operations at Headquarters PACAF. “With commercial air refueling in theater, wings and warfighters saw an immediate return on investment, getting training and unique opportunities they otherwise couldn’t get in this AOR due to demand signal for tankers outpacing supply. By having an on-demand, flexible, highly mission-capable tanker available, PACAF can open the aperture for global mobility.”
The first commercial air-to-air refueling of U.S. Air Force fighter aircraft
Following the first commercial refueling of an E-3 Sentry and an RC-135 Rivet Joint in June 2023 during exercise Resolute Hunter 23-2 at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, PACAF identified a proof-of-concept employment to refuel fighter aircraft during exercise Commando Sling 23. During this exercise, a commercial refueler flew with Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, to Singapore to provide aerial refueling enabling the pilots to further project airpower.
The Omega KDC-10 supported six F-16s assigned to the 36th Fighter Squadron from Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, as well as transporting more than 40 passengers attending the exercise and four pallet positions worth of cargo to exercise the aircraft’s dual role capability for airlift as well as refueling. According to the press release, by the end of the exercise, commercial refuelers have provided air-to-air refueling to three separate airframes: F-15Cs, F-16s, and F-22s.
The service said this proof-of-concept is a pivotal achievement as it demonstrates a key capability the Air Force can continue to leverage enabling a surge in exercises while simultaneously maintaining immediate mission readiness. This isn’t completely new, as the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps have been leveraging this commercial capability for almost 20 years, but the Air Force is looking to further exploit it.
“If we can use commercial air refueling to cover the point A to point B movements for exercise participation across unit readiness training, then it frees up our warfighter tanker fleet to be ready to respond for emerging contingency requirements,” said Lt. Col. Curtis Holtman, Pacific Air Forces air mobility operations chief. “This is another mechanism that we can leverage to increase our warfighter readiness.”
PACAF’s proof-of-concept
Col. Baize and Lt. Col. Shannon Vinson, Chief of Mobility Operations, worked with Air Combat Command, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Materiel Command, and the U.S. Navy Program Management Activity (PMA) 226 in support of this historic milestone. PMA 226 manages Contracted Air Services in support of the Naval Aviation Enterprise, including aerial refueling services provided by Omega.
The project is seen as an opportunity to pursue innovative ways to accelerate change and support warfighters, solidifying the continued innovation and sharpening of the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force. According to the press release, working in concert with U.S. Transportation Command and U.S. Naval Air Systems Command, PACAF engaged with the Air Refueling Certification Agency at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to get Technical Compatibility Assessments expeditiously approved for the A-10, B-52, C-17, and MC-130J to inter-fly with Omega KDC-10s.
“Air refueling mission success enhances our warfighting advantage by breaking down service barriers, working seamlessly across domains with stakeholders around the world including joint, interagency, special operations, and Allies and partners,” Lt. Col. Vinson said. “There’s no limit to what we can do as a unified fighting force aligned with our leadership’s vision of accelerating change.”
The KDC-10, similarly to the KC-10 retired by the Air Force, utilizes a boom operating system and can carry 29,000 gallons of fuel, and 41,000 gallons of fuel with an additional fuselage tank. With the capability of delivering 400-900 gallons a minute, the KDC-10s flexibility enables U.S. aircraft to continue to actively train during operations and exercises while integrating alongside Allies and partners throughout the region, said the service.
“Aerial refueling is the lifeline of military operations in the Pacific due to the tyranny of distance between suitable airfields,” said Lt. Col. Reagan Mullin, 1st Special Operations Squadron director of operations, Kadena Air Base, Japan. “The Omega commercial refueling platform offers military aircrew operating in the Pacific with another option to train and obtain mission support when tanker demand exceeds existing military capacity. We can’t wait to work with Omega again!”
The need for commercial aerial refueling
Commercial air-to-air refueling is not a novelty, as the U.S. Navy has been using it in training and non-combat operations for decades. Until now, however, there was a lack of commercial tankers equipped with the boom, the main air-to-air refueling method used by the Air Force. In fact, the famous Omega Aerial Refueling Services, which is often seen supporting Navy jets, operates KC-707 equipped with probe-and-drogue refueling systems, the preferred method of the Navy.
Only in 2020 Omega and Metrea acquired a former Dutch KDC-10 and Singaporean KC-135Rs, respectively, equipped with boom system. The first-ever commercial boom aerial refueling was then performed in April 2023, when a Metrea KC-135R refueled two P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft over a period of 4 hours off the coast of Florida.
The Air Force has been facing for some years a tanker shortage, with the retirement of the KC-10 Extender, the exhaustion of the remaining KC-135 Stratotankers’ service life, and the delays of the new KC-46 Pegasus. Because of this, in 2020 the Air Force conducted a feasibility study to determine whether it is cost-effective to use commercial aerial-refueling services.
The Air Force estimated it will need about 6,000 additional flying hours per year, with the additional tanking capacity costing between $15,000 and $27,000 per flying hour and taking anywhere from one to 10 years to implement. In 2020, Gen. Maryanne Miller, then commander of Air Mobility Command, said commercial aerial-refueling services could relieve pressures on the military’s own tankers, filling the gap for U.S. missions when there is high demand abroad.
Stefano D’Urso is a freelance journalist and contributor to TheAviationist based in Lecce, Italy. A graduate in Industral Engineering he’s also studying to achieve a Master Degree in Aerospace Engineering. Electronic Warfare, Loitering Munitions and OSINT techniques applied to the world of military operations and current conflicts are among his areas of expertise.
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