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KC-10, KC-135 escort Japanese jets

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Angela Martin
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Aircrew members here operating the KC-10 Extender and crew members flying two KC-135 Stratotankers from Yokota Air Base, Japan, partnered in late August with the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force to escort six of their F-15 Eagles from Japan to Eielson AFB, Alaska.

The JASDF members were participating in RED FLAG-Alaska, an exercise that simulated complex air combat conditions in a realistic threat environment. RF-A 13-3 involved more than 60 aircraft and 2,600 personnel from joint and international military forces.

Effectively escorting the F-15s was a true testament of the aircrew's planning process.

"With the KC-10, there is always a crew effort to make sure the aircraft gets the mission accomplished safely," said Capt. Tony Perez, 9th Air Refueling Squadron aircraft commander. "While it is (the aircraft commander's) final decision, there are always inputs from the engineers, co-pilot and boom operator."

According to Perez, the aircraft commander relies on their team's inputs to make informed decisions and finalize mission plans. The engineers are the system experts who provide the aircraft commander with technical information about the aircraft. The first pilot assists with navigation and aviation, and acts as an extra set of eyes to ensure the mission is executed safely. Additionally, the boom operator controls the refueling aspect of the KC-10.

"Our boom did an amazing job running the radios and controlling how the airplanes transition for refueling," Perez said. "They are the ones communicating and executing the mission. The boom clearly and concisely communicated with foreign pilots where language barriers could have."

Although English is the international aviation language, three JASDF pilots were onboard the KC-10 to alleviate communication concerns. Although KC-10 crew members regularly work with other countries during deployments, this was each crew members first time working closely with foreign military members.

"It was pretty cool to see how another military works and their rank structure," said Tech. Sgt. Jose Godoy, 6th ARS flight engineer.

For Staff Sgt. Will Deemer, 6th ARS flight engineer, partnering with the JASDF was an opportunity to learn about the similarities the U.S. Air Force has with the JASDF.

"Everyone was laid back and willing to talk," Deemer said. "It was nice to break the barriers."

During the coronet, each F-15 went through eight refuelings, allowing the aircraft to be used to its full capability.

"This is the cool thing about the KC-10. We have airline passenger seats to bring Space Available passengers onboard. We also have the cargo capacity. And then we could air refuel other planes and also take gas from," said 1st Lt. Blake Rubino, 6th ARS first pilot "This is an amazing multi-role aircraft."