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AMC refueling jet supported F-16s used to track stolen Cessna

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Justin Brockhoff
  • 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center Public Affairs
SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. --  Shortly after a stolen Cessna from a Canadian flight school crossed the U.S.-Canada border Monday, F-16 Fighting Falcons supported by a KC-135 Stratotanker were on its trail.

The Cessna 172, stolen by its pilot from a flight school in Thunder Bay, Ontario, crossed the U.S. border between 3 and 4 p.m., and was tracked by the military jets for nearly seven hours.

The chase led the Air Force fighters over multiple states including Michigan, Wisconsin and ultimately into Missouri where the Cessna's pilot landed and was taken into custody by local officials.

Due to the long duration of the incident, the F-16s required air-to-air refueling which was provided by the KC-135 and its aircrew, operating under the command and control of the 618th Tanker Airlift Control Center at Scott Air Force Base, Ill.

"We received the request to assist the homeland security mission to track the stolen Cessna, and were able to get a KC-135 into the area to refuel the F-16s, enabling them to stay airborne and follow the plane," said Maj. Matt Watson, an air refueling duty officer currently assigned to the 618th TACC's Command and Control Directorate.

The KC-135 was closely monitored throughout its flight by the 618th TACC, Air Mobility Command's 24/7 air operations center, tasked with planning and executing AMC's global airlift, air refueling and aeromedical evacuation requirements.

"We work closely with a large number of Air Force units and aircrews to provide air refueling assets when and where they're needed," added Major Watson. "Providing command and control over the KC-135 that worked on this mission is just one example of how the 618th TACC coordinates support for refueling needs of Air Force aircraft all around the world."

The 618th TACC, established April 1, 1992, provides command and control for hundreds of airlift and air refueling missions each day, and can seamlessly redirect those missions to support emerging requirements, as was the case to provide the air refueling capability for the F-16s tracking the Cessna.

The KC-135, which entered into service in 1956, is the oldest air-refueling platform in the Air Force inventory. It is capable of flying up to 530 miles per hour and can carry 200,000 pounds of fuel for air-to-air refueling in one flight.