Air Force officials maintain training with the Air Mobility Command (AMC) expands the proficiency level of those who work with the CV-22 Osprey aircraft.
“We are very familiar with our own Air Force Special Operations Command counterparts and have a habitual relationship of getting fuel from them,” Lt. Col. Charles Mauzé, 20th SOS commander, said. “So when we have a chance to train with Air Mobility Command aircraft like the KC-10, we jump at the opportunity because that type of asset provides a whole new set of capabilities for us.”
The KC-10 team, which is assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Squadron recently traveled from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., to rendezvous with the Osprey aircraft at an altitude of approximately 10,000 feet where they conducted multiple Tactical Air-Refueling (TAR) missions.
“The refueling happens at a considerably lower speed and lower altitude compared to other receivers,” Senior Airman Mason Wells, 6th ARS boom operator, said. “As a result, the propellers from the CV-22 tend to create an air buffer between themselves and the aft portion of our aircraft, which makes it feel like they are pushing us out of a level flight path and moving us around. To say the least, it is a very different feeling.”
The training goals and objectives focus upon proficient air refueling in a deployed location so the capabilities of the CV-22 aircraft can be performed longer and more frequently.