Super Sortie

ON A WEDNESDAY in early August, airmen with the 157th Air Refueling Wing took off from Pease Air National Guard Base, New Hampshire, and wouldn’t touch down again for more than 22 hours in one of the longest KC-46 Pegasus flights in history. 

The mission, dubbed a super sortie, tested critical KC-46 operating systems while executing heavy on-loads and off-loads of fuel with multiple aircraft. It also demonstrated the ability to seamlessly interchange multiple flight crews over a long period of time, said unit leaders. 

During the mission, which took place Aug. 3-4, airmen conducted multiple aerial refueling and receiving operations over the east coast of the United States and Canada. The crew then flew to Alaska to participate in Exercise Red Flag, an aerial combat training hosted by the U.S. Air Force, before traveling across the Pacific Ocean to Saipan near the Philippines. 

Crewing the mission were seven pilots, two boom operators, six maintainers, a physician’s assistant and a photojournalist, all with the New Hampshire Air National Guard. Rather than adhering to a rigid hourly schedule, the pilots distributed the flying workload between themselves on an as-needed basis, guaranteeing they all had adequate rest to complete the mission. 

The flight length allowed the airmen to fully test the crew amenities on the KC-46. They prepared and consumed meals with the ability to heat and refrigerate food; they slept in bunks at regular intervals; maintained hygiene with running water and lavatory services; and regulated the temperature on board the airplane, ensuring crew comfort throughout the flight. 

“The knowledge gained throughout this sortie will help the KC-46 community grow its tactical footprint,” said Maj. Chris Williams, a KC-46 pilot with the 157th ARW. “It was truly an honor to be a part of it.” 

The Pease KC-46 started the mission by refueling four F-15 Eagle fighters with the Massachusetts Guard’s 104th Fighter Wing off the coast of New England, before receiving fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker with the Pennsylvania Guard’s 171st Air Refueling Wing. It then rendezvoused with a KC-135 with the Maine’s 101st Air Refueling Wing for more fuel before turning northeast towards Bangor, Maine. 

While flying over central and western Canada, the KC-46 received multiple on-loads of fuel from a companion KC-46 from Pease. This additional fuel gave the aircraft the surplus load it needed to continue on to the Red Flag exercise in Alaska successfully and ultimately to its final destination of Saipan.

“This mission was awesome for all of us who’ve been trying to figure out the ins and outs of this new airplane,” said Capt. Josh Stewart, a KC-46 pilot. 

During the sortie, the airmen also became the first KC-46 crew in history to stand up a mission planning center on board the airframe. Thanks to the work and technical understanding of two of the crew members, the MPC provided access to real-time, mission-critical planning data in flight from anywhere in the world. The standup of the MPC marked a major tactical milestone that will be utilized in future KC-46 missions. 

“We were able to demonstrate 100% mission-system capability,” said Maj. Bill Daley, KC-46 pilot and mission planning cell chief. 

The KC-46 is the Air Force’s newest aerial refueling platform. It is capable of holding up to 212,299 pounds of fuel and can also be used for cargo lift and aeromedical evacuations. The 157th, the only Guard unit with the new tankers, is home to 12 of the new planes. 

“I’m incredibly proud of the 157th Air Refueling Wing,” said Daley. “This was a complete team effort to make everything work.”