Royal Australian Air Force Refuels USAF Aircraft in Trials

A RAAF KC-30A conducted air-to-air clearance trials with U.S. Air Force RC-135 and A-10C Thunderbolt II airframes.

Monday, January 08, 2024 at 01:53 PM ET

Verified

A RAAF KC-30A multirole tanker transport from 33 Squadron (left) conducts air-to-air refueling trials with a U.S. Air Force Boeing RC-135. [Courtesy: U.S. Air Force via RAAF]

Key Takeaways:

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) KC-30A multirole tanker successfully concluded air-to-air refueling clearance trials with U.S. Air Force RC-135 and A-10C Thunderbolt II aircraft.
Conducted over nearly a month at Edwards Air Force Base, the trials involved more than 400 contacts, specifically 412 with the RC-135 over eight sorties.
This collaboration aims to significantly increase interoperability between the two nations' militaries and enables the RAAF to contribute to the force extension of USAF airframes during exercises or future operations.
Data collected from these trials will be used to facilitate formal clearance from both countries, documenting the approved pairing for future air-to-air refueling operations.

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The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has concluded air-to-air refueling clearance trials with U.S. Air Force RC-135 and A-10C Thunderbolt II airframes.

An RAAF KC-30A multirole tanker from 33 Squadron collaborated with USAF’s 418th Flight Test Squadron (FLTS) at Edwards Air Force Base, California, conducting more than 400 contacts of the airframes over the course of nearly a month, RAAF said Monday.