Free Republic

The Pentagon has identified six U.S. service members who were killed when a KC-135 refueling aircraft crashed in western Iraq during a combat mission in support of Operation Epic Fury. The incident, which occurred on Thursday, took place in "friendly" airspace during an unspecified incident involving another aircraft. While the other plane landed safely, the KC-135 crashed. Military officials said the incident was not due to hostile or friendly fire and remains under investigation. The airmen were assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida and the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air...

/19/2006 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFPN) -- The only Air Force squadron that consists of both the KC-10 Extender and the KC-135 Stratotanker is supporting operations throughout Southwest Asia. "We have one-third of the air refueling assets as far as the aircraft and the crews go, but we provide almost 50 percent of air refueling in the area of responsibility," said Lt. Col. Kurt Meidel, 908th Air Refueling Squadron commander. The squadron supports operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, and on occasion the Horn of Africa. "You can't compare the two aircraft because both have their good qualities and their bad...

3/23/2006 - MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) -- On any given night over Afghanistan, a KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft may be flying nearby as Soldiers in night-vision goggles move in on an enemy position. If needed, Soldiers call for close-air-support from the Air Force -- an A-10 Thunderbolt II may answer the call for help. No matter how well-trained the ground troops are, or how skillful the pilot is, if the A-10 runs out of fuel, it could spell failure. But the pilot knows a tanker will be there. Introduced to the fleet in 1954, there are more than 400...