Coalition Aerial Refueling Initiative successful

  • Published
  • By 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio – Officials in the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Tanker Directorate, headquartered at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base recently announced the successful completion of refueling tests between the Australian Air Force’s KC-30 and the U.S. Air Force’s B-1B as part of the Coalition Aerial Refueling Initiative (CARI).

From Oct. 25 – Nov. 9 the coalition team executed seven sorties totaling 27.4 flight test hours, encompassing 185 contacts and offloading a total of 275,150 pounds of fuel. The testing was completed two weeks ahead of schedule.

“CARI is significant because it fosters international cooperation by leveraging the combined assets of our coalition partners,” said John Slye, director of engineering for the Tanker Directorate. “This is not just a U.S. Air Force mission, but a global mission because of the reliance on aerial refueling as a force extender, force enabler, and force multiplier. The results of CARI offer a significant return on investment; providing aircraft refueling services and increasing tanker availability while improving the interoperability of the United States and its coalition partners.”

 

The next aerial refueling flight test of the KC-30 will be with the A-10 in the February-March 2017 timeframe.