In support of Talisman Sabre 2015 exercise operations, members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) No. 33 Squadron conducted in-air refueling for U.S. and Australian fighters July 13 in the skies above the North Australian coast.
A variety of U.S. and Australian F/A-18 Hornets, Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers lined each side of the Royal Australian Air Force KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft for their chance to refuel. The fighters are conducting striker training in the North Australian Exercise Area.
The crew of four has been flying an average of two refueling missions a day throughout the exercise. For this particular mission, they provided fuel for 11 aircraft and offloaded about 135,000 pounds of fuel.
In addition to the KC-30, the exercise refueling mission also includes two U.S. KC-10 Extenders, aircrafts with similar refueling capabilities.
Talisman Sabre 2015 is a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia that improves both countries’ ability to plan and execute a full range of operations from combat missions to humanitarian assistance efforts.
Image: US Air Force