Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

RAAF tanker pushes the envelope to rescue crippled US Hornet over Iraq
news.com.au ^ | 30th October 2015

Posted on 10/29/2015 4:45:36 PM PDT by naturalman1975

AN Australian air force tanker jet has come to the rescue of a US F/A-18 Hornet experiencing difficulties over northern Iraq.

The RAAF KC-30A tanker was diverted to refuel the United States Marine Corps fighter after it experienced engine troubles during a combat mission against the Islamic State.

Australia has deployed six of its own Hornets along with the tanker and an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft to Iraq and Syria as part of an international coalition against the Islamic State.

Mechanical failure forced the US F/A-18 Hornet pilot to shut down one of its two engines..

This placed greater strain on its remaining engine — causing it to burn up more fuel than expected for its long journey home.

Refuelling the crippled aircraft posed a challenge.

“A challenging feat at the best of times, air-to-air refuelling with an engine-out Hornet had only ever been conducted in flight testing scenarios and never before from the RAAF aircraft over a war-zone,” a Department of Defense statement reads.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...


TOPICS: Australia/New Zealand; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last
And this is why you train and you TRAIN and you TRAIN and you TRAIN and you TRAIN
1 posted on 10/29/2015 4:45:36 PM PDT by naturalman1975
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

Also why it is nice to be good at your job.


2 posted on 10/29/2015 4:48:12 PM PDT by yarddog (Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

That marine owes the tanker crew a cold one.

The prospect of hoofing it through ISIS occupied real estate is not a pleasant one.


3 posted on 10/29/2015 4:49:56 PM PDT by skeeter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

Thanks Aussies, we got your back and you got ours, appreciate it.


4 posted on 10/29/2015 4:52:57 PM PDT by MARKUSPRIME
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975
If we hadn't been able to assist, he would have certainly have had to make a less than ideal landing in Iraq.

Only an Aussie could say that with a straight face. :)

5 posted on 10/29/2015 4:56:38 PM PDT by Dartman (Canada 10/19/15 Santa Claus won.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

Thank God our pilot wasn’t in an F-35.. He might be in an ISIS video by now.


6 posted on 10/29/2015 5:00:37 PM PDT by Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

Good on ya, mates!


7 posted on 10/29/2015 5:08:58 PM PDT by CrazyIvan (Hey Pope Francis- The Gospels are not Matthew, Marx, Luke and John.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975
KC-30:


8 posted on 10/29/2015 5:11:29 PM PDT by PLMerite (The Revolution...will not be kind.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

Thanks mate.

Cold ones all around to those who helped.


9 posted on 10/29/2015 5:12:08 PM PDT by SnuffaBolshevik (Enter something.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America

A more optimistic view is that an F-35 pilot won’t have to deal with the difficulties of refueling after shutting down an engine.


10 posted on 10/29/2015 5:13:10 PM PDT by Gunslingr3
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Obama_Is_Sabotaging_America

Thank God our pilot wasn’t in an F-35.. He might be in an ISIS video by now.


Yeah, how do you spend 100s of billions of dollars on a new fighter and end up with a dual purpose (Air Force/Navy) plane with ONE engine?


11 posted on 10/29/2015 5:13:12 PM PDT by Vic S
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Gunslingr3
A more optimistic view is that an F-35 pilot won't have to deal with the difficulties of refueling after shutting down an engine.

Not being an airplane mechanic, I had to check Wikipedia to confirm what I suspected:

The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters

12 posted on 10/29/2015 5:35:26 PM PDT by Greysard
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

We can always rely on the folks Down Under.


13 posted on 10/29/2015 5:38:16 PM PDT by exit82 ("The Taliban is on the inside of the building" E. Nordstrom 10-10-12)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975; blueyon; KitJ; T Minus Four; xzins; CMS; The Sailor; ab01; txradioguy; ...

Active Duty ping.


14 posted on 10/29/2015 5:40:04 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975

On Marine bases, the band plays “Waltzing Matilda” on its way to the flagpole for the morning flag raising ceremony. Since WWII there has been a close bond between Australians and US Marines.


15 posted on 10/29/2015 5:51:25 PM PDT by Forty-Niner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: skeeter

That marine owes the tanker crew a cold one.

The prospect of hoofing it through ISIS occupied real estate is not a pleasant one.


For sure on both points.


16 posted on 10/29/2015 6:03:35 PM PDT by laplata ( Liberals/Progressives have diseased minds.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: skeeter; naturalman1975
That Marine owes the tanker crew a cold one.

You've got *that* right.But the Marine should be aware that only *Americans* drink Foster's.Those Aussies will settle for nothing less than Victoria Bitter! ;-)

17 posted on 10/29/2015 6:10:09 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative (Obamanomics:Trickle Up Poverty)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: naturalman1975
Mechanical failure forced the US F/A-18 Hornet pilot to shut down one of its two engines.

If he had been upgraded to the F-35, he wouldn't have ever been put in a positions where he would have to shut down one of two engines.

18 posted on 10/29/2015 6:16:58 PM PDT by PAR35
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: PLMerite

Based on the A330.


19 posted on 10/29/2015 6:20:49 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: MARKUSPRIME; naturalman1975
Thanks Aussies, we got your back and you got ours, appreciate it.

When obammy finds out he'll find a way to dis the Aussies.

20 posted on 10/29/2015 6:26:16 PM PDT by TangoLimaSierra (To win the country back, we need to be as mean as the libs say we are.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson