Posted on 12/05/2018 3:47:49 PM PST by blueyon
MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP BUTLER, Okinawa, Japan – Search and rescue operations were underway for U.S. Marine aircraft that were involved in a ‘mishap’ off of the coast of Japan around 2:00 a.m. Dec. 6, military officials say.
The aircraft involved in the mishap had launched from Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni and were conducting regularly scheduled training when the mishap occurred — reportedly a refueling exercise.
(Excerpt) Read more at breaking911.com ...
C-130 and two seat F-18. Total of 7 men. Guys in the fighter have ejection seats. 130 doesn’t.
Two???
I just saw a report that the Japanese have rescued 1. And that 6 are still missing.
My son-in-law just returned from a deployment over there a few weeks ago. Prayers for Marines and families involved.
Two seat FA-18 variant (B, D, or F). Probably a D model.
Six missing after U.S. military aircraft crash off Japan(one found)
Also confirmed here:
twitter.com/USMC/status/1070470035787968513
A collision most likely?
Prayers for these Marines.
Air to Air refueling is a dangerous thing.
Aerial refueling. Dangerous anytime, anywhere.
Prayers for The Crews and Families.
I flew on C-130s during my Marine days back in the early 1980s. Even then, the C-130s were long in the tooth.
Fortunately, most US C-130s are of relatively recent production - and the C-130 is still in production in a multiply modernized and updated variant so parts are available.
The F-18s in Marine service, though... some of them are older than the pilots flying them.
Marines have C/D’s.
Dangerous? Yes but necessary to a successful mission.
The largest onload I ever had was 150,000 lbs of JP-4, on many B-52 airborne alert flights. We would fly a two airplane cell and three KC-135 tankers would refuel us. At 6,000 lbs per minute transfer rate, it would take at least 45 minutes because each tanker could offload 100,000 lbs requiring one tanker to split his fuel, 50,000 to each bomber, hence the delay in total time. The challenge was to maintain contact as the tanker gets lighter and the receiver gets heavier, the tanker tends to fly away from you.
You are right. Day, Night, weather, turbulence etc. were all in a days work.
A chance of a midair collision is great with limited visibility and not having a Radar Navigator telling the pilot the range and rate of closure to the tanker. An F-18 has radar but a single pilot relying on only visual contact has to be difficult.
SAC had a “mishap” in the 1960’s over Spain where the bomber overran the tanker, during the rendezvous, and both aircraft were destroyed. The bomber crew ejected safely but the tanker crew all died.
One is my son in law’s good friend. We are all praying. He has a wife and young kids.
Thanks, prayers for the families
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